The Detroit Lions are back in the playoff hunt after Thursday's decisive win over the Dallas Cowboys. Defensive play hasn't exactly been the Lions' strong suit as of late, but the unit did look better against the Cowboys, and someone who played a key role in that performance is rookie defensive tackle Tyleik Williams.
Despite an underwhelming start to his rookie season, Williams has started to showcase why the Lions selected him in the first round of the 2025 NFL draft. The first-year defender opened Sunday ranked 12th among all DTs with a 74.5 Pro Football Focus defensive grade since Week 7, per Pride of Detroit's Al Karsten, which speaks to his improvement over the course of the season.
Let's preface that PFF grades aren't the definitive ruling on player analysis, but they do help paint a picture of someone's play. After how much the rookie's performance left to be desired in the season's first half, it's safe to say that Williams has finally turned a much-needed page.
Tyleik Williams Has Officially Rebounded From Slow Start
Until the Thanksgiving Day clash with the Green Bay Packers, Williams' snap count had been relatively limited, especially if you consider his first-round talent. That all changed when he had his sixth-highest snap share of the season (54%) in the loss to Green Bay and showed what he can provide for this defense when he is on the field more often.
Although Alim McNeill has returned from a torn ACL, the defensive interior was a concern in the immediate aftermath of McNeill's injury and Levi Onwuzurike's ACL injury in July. Fast forward to now, and that's no longer a concern now that Williams is finally living up to the hype. He only has 15 total tackles, one tackle for loss, and three passes defended, but nine of those tackles have come in the last four games, which is a sign of his recent uptick in performance as the snap count increases.
Weeks | Average Defensive Snap Count | Tackles Per Game |
|---|---|---|
1-10 | 24.9 | 0.7 |
11-14 | 34.3 | 2.3 |
According to PFF, Williams has generated 17 pressures this season, which ranks 46th out of 129 qualified interior defenders. Veteran offseason addition Roy Lopez had been solid for Detroit with 26 tackles, one sack, three tackles for loss and one pass defended, taking away some snaps from Williams. However, the improvement from Williams amid his snap increase should earn him some additional playing time, especially if Detroit wants him to become a key player on its defense for years to come.
If anything, he has proven that he is deserving of a larger role on this Lions defensive front. For a team that just gave up 376 passing yards to Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott on Thursday night and lost safety Brian Branch to a torn Achilles tendon, Williams and the defensive front will be under even more pressure to do their part, especially with an average of 2.8 sacks per game and a banged-up secondary.
Regardless of how the season plays out for the Lions, Williams has provided some optimism for Detroit in recent weeks. If he continues to play well and take advantage of his snap count, the decision to draft him in the first round will only look better as he leaves his impact on the field.