ALLEN PARK — Lions wide receiver Jameson Williams is back to work this week after his six-game NFL game suspension was shortened to four weeks.
Williams, a first-round pick in 2022, was limited to six games last season due to injury and finished with nine targets, and one amazing 41-yard reception for a touchdown. He ran a reverse 40 yards against the Bears. That’s it.
Coach Dan Campbell is not looking to make up for lost time with Williams who played in one preseason game with seven targets and two catches for 36 yards in August. He struggled with catching the ball during much of training camp and injured his hamstring in an Aug. 17 practice which sidelined him until his suspension started.
The way Campbell operates, once players get on the field, a first-round pick and undrafted player have the same chance to succeed. That won’t change with Williams. Campbell’s expectations seem basic.
“Reliability, dependability, get lined up, know where you’re supposed to be, we’re going to get the depth out of you, we can count on you to be where you’re supposed to be when you’re supposed to be there and that’s it,’’ Campbell said on Monday.
“I’m not looking for yards, I’m not looking for explosives, not looking for touchdowns, just be a reliable receiver like any of those guys in the room. That’s it. To me that’s a good year. Because we’re about winning it’s not about one player that will help us win.’’
Monday was Williams’ first day back. Tuesday the team will have a full practice in preparation to play the Carolina Panthers at Ford Field on Sunday.
“We’ve just got to see where he’s at with football. This will be his first week back, we’ll take every day and see how he does,’’ Campbell said.
No guarantee on how much he will play or even if he will play Sunday. Depends on practice this week.
“He just needs to come in, I’m not worried about him working, he will. It’s just about polishing all the little things. We also know if he does play, he can’t play 60 plays, that’s not smart, we can’t do that to him,’’ Campbell said. “So we’ll see where it goes, it’s all about improvement, no different than the rest of the team. Every week we’ve just got to get a little bit better. He needs to get a little bit better and we’ll take it from there.’’
So far with the Lions 3-1 record, the offense is sailing without Williams. Wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown leads with 26 catches for 331 yards and two touchdowns, while rookie tight end Sam LaPorta has 22 catches for 242 yards and a TD. Josh Reynolds had broken through with a dozen receptions for 215 yards and two touchdowns.
It’s not like Williams has really been missed. His speed makes him a natural downfield target but he’s not the only one on the roster with that ability.
“I think what we’ve done a really good job of in these four weeks, we are by committee, we have production. It’s taken all of us,’’ Campbell said. “That O-line is important and our skill guys (are) stepping up, that’s from tight ends to backs to receivers.’’
From Campbell’s perspective everyone has a job to do and those who find success will find the ball coming their way more often.
“Your number will be called at a certain time, we’re not one guy’s carrying a load, that’s not how we work. Certainly we have players that we depend on on that side of the ball that have come up big for us, you know who they are,’’ the coach added.
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