Jameson Williams demands attention, even on few snaps

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The Lions will look a little different when the Bears play them this Sunday. Jameson Williams has made his debut in Detroit and adds an extra wrinkle to their passing attack. The Lions traded up in the 2022 draft to select Jameson Williams with the No. 12 overall pick, despite the fact that Williams tore his ACL a few months prior in the CFP National Championship Game. Williams finally made his NFL debut in Week 13 and hasn’t played many snaps since, but he’s already catching attention from opposing defenses.

“Speed,” said Alan Williams about what Jameson Williams brings to the Lions offense. “Yeah, speed. He can really run and they’re not really doing a lot with him. You can see how little by little he’s being implemented into the offense. So you just have to be aware when another guy, when he’s on the football field, because he has the ability to be a dynamic, dynamic guy with stretching the football field and getting behind the defense.”

Over the past month, Williams has played between eight and 13 snaps per game. With those snaps he’s pretty much only been used on deep routes. Even with the limited role so far, the Bears will make sure they pay attention when he’s on the field.

“He’s a guy you’ve got to respect,” said Jaylon Jones.

Jones played against Williams last season at Ole Miss. He remembers game planning for Williams’ game-breaking ability.

“He’s all over the tape,” Jones said. “He went to ‘Bama for a reason. He was getting a lot of targets. He’s a dynamic guy.”

Velus Jones had a bit of a different perspective from the Tennessee sideline last year. Velus Jones wasn’t competing with Williams on the field, but he still learned quickly how Williams can change a game.

“We had them on the ropes,” Velus Jones said, referring to the Volunteers taking a 14-7 lead against the Crimson Tide in 2021. “We took the lead and could’ve won that game, but he bailed them out so many times. I think we had a one-high safety or something, and I think he ran past him on a deep ball and ever since then they were rolling.

“That man was ridiculous in college.”

The Lions are clearly taking things slow with Williams, but he can still make a big impact in an instant. He’s only caught one ball on five targets, but of course that one catch went for a 41-yard touchdown. Williams worked his way towards the end zone in Week 14 against the Vikings, the Vikings secondary lost track of him and Williams made them pay for an easy score. It’s just a quick glimpse of how Williams adds another dimension to the Lions offense, and a glimpse of what the Bears could accomplish if they’re able to add a receiver like Williams one day.

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