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Eric Woodyard, ESPN
ALLEN PARK, Mich. — Detroit Lions wide receiver Jameson Williams has been focused since the 2023 season ended. And the team has taken notice.
So much, coach Dan Campbell, speaking at OTAs on Thursday, said Williams has shown the most improvement of any Lions player so far.
“He is a man on a mission,” Campbell said. “And I’m just gonna leave it at that.”
Williams, drafted 12th overall in 2022, is entering his third season. But 2024 is shaping up to be his first without any limitations.
He missed his first 11 games as a rookie while recovering from an ACL injury he suffered in college. Last season, he missed the first four games while serving a suspension for violating the NFL’s gambling policy.
Now, fully healthy and able to participate in all offseason team activities, his mindset is to help the team in any way possible.
“It does a lot because this is my third year, but it’s really my first year going out there and getting real reps with the ones (starters) and moving around with the ones and getting reps with JG (quarterback Jared Goff) and things like that,” Williams said. “Just moving around, getting the right splits and everything, just feeling comfortable. So, this is my first year doing all that and it just feels good going into it.”
Campbell says Williams has improved “everywhere,” which is good news for a Lions team that needs him to assume a bigger role after losing receiver Josh Reynolds in free agency.
Williams scored both a rushing and receiving touchdown in the Lions’ NFC Championship Game loss to the San Francisco 49ers to end last season — a game in which his speed and ability to be a deep threat were on display. He knows consistency will be the key to unlock his full potential.
“I don’t feel pressure. I really play football,” said Williams, who played his college ball at Ohio State and Alabama. “I’ve been playing football a long time and been playing in some of the biggest games on TV and things like that. I never really felt no pressure because it’s what I do. It’s what I was born to do, what I was made to do, what I was taught to do. So, I don’t really feel pressure at all.”
Williams said it’s important to show the finer points and details of his game at OTAs. He was known to freestyle on his routes in college at times. Now, he is focused on the details.
“He has so many tools in his toolbox. He can beat you running fast, he can snap down, he’s a threat in a lot of different ways,” Lions cornerback Carlton Davis III said. “So, when you’re going up against a guy like that every day, you have no choice but to get better.”
In 18 career games, Williams has shown glimpses of his ability, catching 25 passes for 395 yards and four touchdowns while adding 69 yards on four carries. Although he remains a work in progress — he dropped a deep ball from Goff during Thursday’s session, for instance — he says he is ready to take a leap, and Lions coaches are confident he can.
“It’s a lot that I’m striving for. The sky is not the limit. I want to go way above the sky. I want to be the best to ever play my position and things like that,” Williams said. “Somebody earlier asked me my goals and what I think about the game and stuff like that, that’s where I want to be when I’m done playing.
“So, things like that, just make me feel a little bit better just to go a little harder with a little confidence and a little extra just on my back just push me a little harder.”
