After a breakout campaign in 2024 that earned him the three-year, $83 million extension before the season, Jameson Williams came back down to earth. Only eclipsing 100+ yards once this season, Williams has had too many games thus far where he has left little to no impact on the contest by the time the final whistle is blown.
Unfortunately, Week 7's Monday Night Football affair against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers was another one of those invisible acts, as Williams finished the night with two targets and no catches.
Jameson Williams Is Hurting Lions in More Ways Than 1
Yet, it is not just his lack of receptions that is hurting the Lions. Williams' inability to become a threat in the passing game also hurts Detroit's run game. Per Next Gen Stats, no running back is facing 8+ defenders in the box at a higher rate than David Montgomery. In 47.44% of his carries, Montgomery faces 8+ defenders. Jahmyr Gibbs also ranks high in that category, sitting just outside the top ten with 27.88.
This is the case of the defenses not respecting Williams and, therefore, stacking the box. A player who is as dangerous a deep threat as Williams should normally help open up the run game, but that hasn't been the case for Detroit at all this season.
As the best one-two punch in the NFL, Montgomery and Gibbs are still finding ways to be highly productive, with Gibbs just delivering his best game of the season on Monday with 136 yards, two touchdowns, and a whopping 8.0 yards per carry. "Knuckles" also continues to be very effective, currently averaging a career-high 4.6 yards per rushing attempt, despite a quieter game against the Bucs.
Williams will likely continue to have quiet performances before his next breakout performance. That is the nature of his boom-or-bust type game. Even last season, he had two games with just one catch. But last year, he also averaged almost four receptions and 66.7 yards per game. This year, those averages are down to 2.4 and 41.3, respectively.
The 24-year-old playmaker is still one of the premier deep threats in the game. His average depth of target (ADOT) of 17.0 yards ranks fourth in the NFL among receivers who average at least one reception per game. While that can still be important for a team even when Williams is not making big plays, defenses are currently not respecting what he can do. The Lions' offense is clicking, but to reach another level, they need to figure out how Williams can make a bigger impact on the game.