Allen Park — Jameson Williams showed glimpses. And after an offseason free of injury, Detroit Lions general manager Brad Holmes is hoping to get the full picture of Williams’ talent in 2023.
Williams, the No. 12 pick out of Alabama, caught one pass his rookie season, a 41-yard touchdown pass against Minnesota. He went quiet for a few weeks, then came back to bust out a 40-yard run against Chicago and catch a flea-flicker for a touchdown in the season finale against Green Bay, which was called back for holding. The ability is clearly there, even if he was slowed by rehabbing a torn ACL for most of his rookie season.
“I think a little bit of what you saw, I don’t think that’s anywhere close to where this kid’s going to go,” Holmes said Tuesday at his end-of-season press conference. “He had some big plays and he had some flashes, but the other thing about Jameson, he’s just a football player, man. So whatever the role is — I know a lot was made about that first game and he was going to be on punt team and all that stuff — that dude just wants to be out there on the football field, man.
“That’s just how he’s wired.”
The Lions have been consistent in their message that Williams’ selection in the draft was not about this season, but about next season and beyond.
On the surface, one might be concerned about Williams’ inability to become a frequent contributor over the last six games. His skillset is a simple one: Catch and run. What couldn’t the Lions figure out about that?
But the reality is that the Lions’ offense was a well-timed machine, and dropping one of the NFL’s fastest receivers into the mix with six games left was going to be a tough thing to capitalize on without a little bit of chemistry. Case in point: Free-agent receiver DJ Chark and quarterback Jared Goff looked like they were on the same page all training camp, only to take about half the season for that connection to actually translate on Sundays.
“Yes, (Williams) was in meetings and he was at practice every day, but it’s different not getting those live reps,” Holmes said. “So, all those receivers … those guys have been working with Jared way back in the offseason. So, they’ve had all that chemistry and all those reps and getting on the same page. And so, Jameson had to start that after he got healthy and cleared to get back on the field.”
In his final college season at Alabama, Williams caught 79 passes for 1,572 (19.9 average) and 15 touchdowns. In his first season in the pros, both passes he caught made the opposing defense look downright foolish — even if the second one was called back.
This is not a case of a highly ranked receiver suddenly lacking the attributes he was drafted for, but rather, a lack of opportunity to get that player involved with such high stakes down the stretch. The Lions surely could have made a better effort to work him in, if they thought it necessary.
But again, the selection of Jameson Williams was never about 2022.
“He’s going to have to put in the work in this offseason, he’s going to have to be dedicated in his approach,” Holmes said. “And we can provide all the resources and lay it all out, but he’s going to have to take the accountability and do it on his own. But I’ve got a lot of faith and confidence in Jameson, and obviously because we traded up for him and made the move for him, we all had the same belief.
“I think he’s going to be just fine.”
nbianchi@detroitnews.com
Twitter: @nolanbianchi