Despite a slew of injuries to start the season, the Detroit Lions' defense is punching above its weight under new defensive coordinator Kelvin Sheppard. They rank in the top half of the league in both points and yards allowed, while putting solid pressure on opposing quarterbacks and forcing turnovers.
This doesn't mean, however, that there aren't a few underperformers. Detroit's first-round pick in the 2025 NFL Draft, Tyleik Williams, is off to a quiet start, taking on a large role and a starting spot in Alim McNeill's absence. Through four games and 127 defensive snaps, Williams has only five QB pressures and three tackles. With a 48.9 defensive grade, he is the second-lowest graded Lions defensive starter, per Pro Football Focus.
Lions Rookie Tyleik Williams Has Chance to Finally Make His Mark
Despite the early struggles, it's obviously way too early to make any judgments about Williams' future in the NFL. In fact, Lions head coach Dan Campbell is not worried at all.
"(Williams has) gone about his business. It’s been quiet production. I mean that in a good way," Campbell said, per AtoZ Sports' Mike Payton. "He’s another one of these guys that does so many things that maybe not everybody sees, like, you can’t move the guy in a run game."
Campbell added that Williams does a lot of "dirty work," and "he's doing a damn good job with it."
The Lions HC's words should act as a reminder not to judge defensive linemen only by their box score stats. Doing the dirty work and helping your teammates is arguably more important when you are playing for Campbell. At the same time, Williams may have an excellent chance to make an impact on the box score in Week 5, as well. It's hard to find a better matchup than the Cincinnati Bengals for any defensive lineman in the league.
The Bengals rank in the bottom five in PFF's pass block grade (46.0, 28th) and dead last by a mile in run block grade (35.9). They have already allowed 13 sacks through four games. They rank near the bottom in most offensive metrics, and they have backup QB Jake Browning under center.
If there was ever an opportunity for turning his fortunes around for Williams, it would be this weekend. With McNeill getting ready to return to action soon, Williams could keep his starting spot and defensive snaps for longer with a strong Week 5 performance.
Otherwise, he could slowly lose his spot next to D.J. Reader once McNeill is fully up to speed. Seeing whether Williams is up to the task on Sunday will be fascinating to watch.