Allen Park — Detroit Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson would love for Jameson Williams to get more targets. Lions quarterback Jared Goff would love for Jameson Williams to get more targets.
And Jameson Williams? Yeah, he’d love for Jameson Williams to get more targets, too.
So just to be clear: Everyone is on the same page. The intrigue comes following a pair of road games in which Williams, the rookie receiver out of Alabama, was targeted a total of two times for zero catches.
“That’s out of my control, targets and things like that,” Williams said. “… Like I said, though, this week I’m just looking forward to going out and getting a win against the Bears. Moving forward to the next week after that, get another win.”
To be fair, it’s easy to understand why some are less patient than others. The Lions were ultra-careful with Williams as he returned from a torn ACL he suffered in January, and after making his debut in Week 13 — a wait that seemed like an eternity to both Williams and the Lions’ fanbase — the No. 12 pick exploded onto the scene a week later with a 41-yard touchdown for his first career catch.
What seemed to be the start of something big was actually the start of a drought.
“Yeah, if it fits,” Goff said in response to a question Wednesday about whether the Lions will make targeting Williams a bigger priority against Chicago this Sunday.
“Certainly, he’s a great player and a guy that can change your offense, and if we can get him the ball, it’s definitely helpful for us. But it’s by no means something we want to force, and we’d love to get him the ball, just like we’d love to get DJ Chark the ball and Josh Reynolds and (Amon-Ra St. Brown), and everyone the same way.”
With his blazing speed, Williams is the type of playmaker who has potential to completely change an offense. But in a way, therein lies part of the problem: The Lions’ offense — particularly the passing game — was humming along just fine before he showed up. There is not only a lack of need to redirect those targets in Williams’ direction, but also the possibility that ‘bringing him along’ will detract from the goal of winning football games.
“It’s about patience,” Williams said. “You can’t rush everything. It’s a plan to everything.”
Chemistry takes time. Exhibit A: Despite working together for a full offseason, it took Chark and Goff a handful of games before their connection started translating to the field. And according to Johnson, Williams is still a tad limited in what the Lions trust him to do in live-game action.
“It’s growing every week, and so, yeah, we know that he can run, but we’re … having Jared see the breaks so that he can anticipate the throws. So, it takes a little bit of time,” Johnson said.
“And he’s been great. He’s been great. He’s been working his tail off. Every special teams period, those two are getting extra reps, so like we said a few weeks ago, it’s a race right now to see how far we can push it over the next few weeks.”
Still, just because they aren’t getting the ball to Williams doesn’t mean they’re not trying. Against the Jets in Week 15, the Lions faced a top-flight secondary which limited their downfield aggression. And against the Panthers, Johnson said, darn-near the entire play sheet was out of whack after the Lions faced an early deficit.
“Each week, guys have plays in the gameplan, and it’s a matter of whether the situation, the defense, allows us to get it to our primary receiver or not. So, no, I don’t think we’re pressing to force the ball to anybody,” Johnson said. “We’ll continue to do what we’ve been doing, and if that means he gets a hundred-yard game this week, then great, but I’d like all of our skill players to have that because really, honestly, they’re dangerous like that. All of them are.
“It’s just hard to dictate that.”
nbianchi@detroitnews.com
Twitter: @nolanbianchi