The Detroit Lions have concluded their organized team activities (OTAs) for the offseason. With the team canceling its mandatory minicamp due to its involvement in this year’s Hall of Fame game against the Los Angeles Chargers on July 31, there’s plenty of time to dissect what happened over the past month and decide who to keep an eye on during training camp.
The offseason is a time usually reserved for hot takes about incoming rookies or free agents, but it’s hard for a returning veteran to make a splash. In the case of Jameson Williams, he’s successfully lived up to that challenge and could be in for an even bigger year after showing he’s worth the hype during OTAs.
Jameson Williams Lays Foundation for Year 3 Breakout During OTAs
Williams has not had the traditional path to stardom in the NFL.
After tearing his ACL during the College Football Playoff Championship Game in 2021, Williams spent his rookie season as a “redshirt,” managing just one catch – a 41-yard touchdown – against the Minnesota Vikings in Week 14. His second season didn’t have an immediate impact either, as Williams managed 24 catches for 354 yards and a pair of touchdowns; however, things changed in Year 3 with 58 catches for 1,001 yards and seven TDs.
The Lions reaped the benefits of Williams’s breakout, ranking first in scoring (564 points), and second in yards per play (6.2) and net yards per passing attempt (7.7). Despite that success, it didn’t ensure Williams’s future in Detroit.
With the final year of his rookie deal approaching, his first two seasons made exercising his fifth-year option a tough decision. Even then, Williams was mentioned in several trade rumors, as it was debatable whether last year’s success was a trend or a mirage.
That changed when Williams hit the field during OTAs. His trademark speed was on display when he burned cornerback Ennis Rakestraw early in workouts, and his upside was something Dan Campbell stressed when talking to reporters last week.
“He’s got a ton of growth left, you know?” Lions head coach Dan Campbell said via Lions team reporter Tim Twentyman. “I don’t want to get too far ahead of ourselves in OTAs, but I mean, there’s so much versatility with him. There are so many things that we can do just with his routes on the outside. I mean, we can do things inside, but just with his speed, and he’s gotten so much stronger, you know.”
Versatility will be key, and the Lions have good reason to expect big things from Williams. He finished with the second-highest receiving average in the NFL with 17.3 yards per catch last season and figures to be a top threat on the outside. With third-round pick Isaac TeSlaa also figured to mix in, Williams has also taken it upon himself to embrace a leadership role on the team.
“I feel good about it,” Williams said. “The young guys come to me about a lot of stuff, and I actually feel good because I know what they are asking me. When I was at their stage, I had guys who I could go to, and they helped me with things. We’ve got four or five rookies that are coming to me asking me like, ‘What’s going on? How does this look? How does that look?’ And I got the right answers for them. It feels good being that guy and that role model for them.”
It remains to be seen whether Williams will get a new contract with a team that needs to pay other stars, such as edge rusher Aidan Hutchinson and running back Jahmyr Gibbs. But a breakout season would help his case, and he’s laid the foundation for that during OTAs.