At the NFL Combine in February, Lions head coach Dan Campbell set some expectations for wide receiver Jameson Williams, who is entering his third season. “By the end of the year, we really felt like he started to come into his own,”Campbell said . “He’ll be pushed to be a full-time starter immediately, which is what we want….As long as he comes back and works hard, which we feel he will because he has demonstrated, he will only improve.”
The Lions demonstrated their confidence in Williams by not signing a free agent to replace the departing Josh Reynolds and not drafting a wide receiver. The figurative runway is open for him to break out this season. Williams is enjoying a normal offseason for the first time in his career, free of injury rehab and an off-field cloud. That can only help to fuel a projected breakout.
Dan Campbell is driving the Jameson Williams hype train
Campbell speaks with reporters before of Thursday’s OTA session. How Williams is doing so far during offseason workouts was an obvious issue, and the Lions’ head coach revealed it everything in a few words.
“He is a man on a mission.” “I’ll just leave it at that,” Campbell said, describing Williams as the most improved Lions player this spring. Campbell was then asked where Williams had improved. “Everywhere,” Campbell answered.
The slow start to his career Williams has had is not entirely his fault. A torn ACL in his final college game rendered his rookie season basically irrelevant. While he probably should have known better about gambling, in a broad sense, the NFL acknowledged some holes in how they were educating about what’s a violation and what’s not.
In any case, the Lions seem to believe Williams will fully emerge in his third season and be their No. 2 wide receiver. Campbell is now taking over as the conductor of the hype train. If they’re wrong, it will probably show itself quickly. If they’re right, another level of their offense could be unlocked.
