Getty Jameson Williams chats with Amon-Ra St. Brown on the Lions bench.
The Detroit Lions made one of the boldest moves in the 2022 NFL draft to come up for wideout Jameson Williams, who was recovering from an ACL injury.
It was expected that Williams was going to take his time and heal before coming back, and that’s just what he did before getting back on the field in December for the first time.
Williams made a quick impression, scoring a touchdown in his first game in a special moment. From there, he eased his way in, but showed his explosion in other ways, taking a reverse for a 40-yard gain.
With that in mind, the Lions hope that Williams has a breakout season in 2023, and that’s just what has been predicted for him within a new analysis.
In a piece looking at the 2023 season, ESPN analysts made picks for intriguing teams as well as potential breakout players.
Williams was named a breakout star in the making by ESPN fantasy football analyst Stephania Bell. As Bell explained, with more time in the offense and with teammates, Williams is going to have a breakout season this coming year.
“The exciting rookie out of Alabama didn’t make his season debut until Week 13 after recovering from a torn ACL, but he gave us a glimpse of what could be in Week 14 when he scored a 41-yard TD against the Vikings in just his second NFL game. With more recovery time under his belt and a chance to work with the team through OTAs and training camp this year, Williams will be a star in a potent Lions offense,” Bell wrote in the piece.
It’s possible that the Lions benefit in a big way from taking it slow with Williams in 2022, and if that’s the case, the elongated recovery would be all worth it in the end for Detroit.
According to Bell, this is going to be the case for the Lions, which would be amazing news for the franchise.
Ben Johnson: Jameson Williams Looking for Consistency in 2023
The Lions have aspirations for the young wideout to be one of the best in the league, and already, that is something that offensive coordinator Ben Johnson sees as the future for Williams.
Speaking to Tim Twentyman of DetroitLions.com on the Twentyman in the Huddle podcast, Johnson discussed what he loves most about Williams, and as he said, it’s his rare ability to have that explosion. The next goal? Getting Williams more consistent.
“There’s a few guys that can do it in the league and I think he’s one of them. That that’s where we see it, you see it, everyone sees it,” Johnson told Twentyman of Williams’ explosion. “It’s there and Jared (Goff) said it before. Consistency. That’s really the name of the game and we’ve had some great conversations with Jameson even since the season ended. I know his mind’s gonna be right when he gets back in there in the springtime. He’s really looking forward to taking that next step as a player and and really making a big impact on this league.”
Already, there’s been some signs that Williams has that kind of effort in him, but as Johnson explained, the Lions have to find a way to get it to the point where he can be fantastic on a regular basis.
If Willans can do that, the team will be thrilled with the type of player he can be within their offense.
Jameson Williams Enjoyed a Decent 2022 Finish
Statistically, it was never going to be the biggest season for Williams with all he had to work on health-wise within his rookie season.
At the same time, Williams was trying to work on chemistry with Jared Goff essentially on the fly during crunch time of the NFL schedule. None of that was easy, which led to his up-and-down production during the last one-and-a-half months he played.
Williams put up a total of 81 yards from scrimmage on the season with one touchdown. He had an electric debut against Minnesota in which he scored on a 41-yard pass on first down in the first quarter.
Here’s a look at the play, which was a beautiful route and the type of score that Williams turned in plenty of times in his college career:
FIRST NFL CATCH IS A TOUCHDOWN FOR @bigsgjamo!
#MINvsDET | 📺 FOX
Williams managed to find a seam down the middle of the field and managed to outrun everybody on the play, showing what he was capable of. Later in the season against Chicago, Williams was unleashed on a 40-yard reverse run.
Though he didn’t score on the play thanks to a flag, Williams showed the goods in Week 18 against Green Bay as well. He caught a deep pass on third-and-one and nearly took it for an electrifying touchdown to break open a 9-3 game early in the second quarter.
The play didn’t count, but holy Jameson Williams’ speed is special. #Lions t.co/ezRwSNPsJL
The highlights show a player who could be primed for a major sophomore season. If Williams can continue to bring the elite mindset, the sky could be the limit for his future in a big way.
It seems that Williams is already being predicted to get that done by some.