Lions wide receiver Jameson Williams got plenty of playing time in Friday’s preseason opener, but he didn’t have a lot of production to show for it: Williams had seven passes thrown his way but only caught two of them, for 18 yards.
Still, Lions coach Dan Campbell said after the game that Williams is doing what the Lions need him to do.
“I told him this: I’m not worried, I didn’t go into this game saying Jameson needs to have 10 catches and 180 yards. That was not what I want. I just want, get lined up, urgency, route definition, detail, finish, and I thought for the most part he did that,” Campbell said. “I’ve got to watch the tape, but he was in it, he cut it loose. It’s not perfect, but not everybody’s perfect out there either. We’ve got so much to clean up across the board, but I was more positive with the way he showed up. I thought he did some really good things.”
Campbell is staying positive, but the reality is the Lions spent a lot of draft capital to move up to the No. 12 overall pick and draft Williams in 2022, and he caught just one pass in a rookie year that was affected by the knee injury he suffered in his final college game. His Year Two will begin with a six-game gambling suspension. At some point soon, the Lions need to see some tangible evidence that Williams is going to develop into a receiver whose production justifies his draft status.