Getty Detroit Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson shared how he plans to get wide receiver Jameson Williams more involved in the team's offense.
The Detroit Lions offense faced a challenge at the beginning of the 2023 season. The unit had to survive without 2022 first-round wide receiver Jameson Williams, who missed the first four games because of a gambling suspension.
Now, after passing that test, the Lions have a new challenge — add Williams back into the offense while keeping the same chemistry from the first part of the season.
Williams caught just 2 passes for 2 yards in his return to the lineup against the Carolina Panthers in Week 5. But offensive coordinator Ben Johnson implied he anticipates Williams getting a lot more involved soon.
“He had a great week of practice last week. I’m looking forward to him doing that again this week because that’s the way you get better,” Johnson told reporters on October 12, via MLive.com’s Kory E. Woods. “That’s the way you gain the trust of the play caller and the quarterback.
“The quarterback will play faster, have more anticipation of where he’s going to be, and we’ll be able to continue to give him opportunities to catch the ball and be the playmaker that he’s capable of being.”
Williams showed flashes of that playmaking ability last season. The lone pass he caught went for a 41-yard touchdown. Williams also ran for 40 yards on 1 rushing attempt.
Lions OC Ben Johnson Looking for Williams to ‘Stack Good Days’
Williams has only played in seven of a possible 23 NFL games to begin his career. His suspension was a setback, but he missed a bulk of his rookie season because of an ACL injury he suffered at the end of his college career.
Due to that injury and the suspension, Williams hasn’t just missed games — he also hasn’t practiced much with the Lions.
Johnson emphasized that the first step for the 22-year-old is to showcase his talent in practice before playing a major role on game days. If he manages to do that, Johnson says Williams will only improve.
“He’s going to continue to get better every single week,” Johnson told reporters. “That’s been the biggest issue with Jamo — the fact that we haven’t been able to stack good days on top of each other since he’s been here.”
Other Ways Williams Can Contribute to Lions Offense
Johnson expressed another way for the 22-year-old to see more offensive snaps in games — be an all-around football player.
Even though Williams only received 3 targets, Johnson said he competed in other ways during his 2023 debut.
“The coolest thing that came from the game the other day was the guy’s such a big competitor; you see him blocking in the run game like he is,” Johnson said. “If he blocks like that, there’ll be snaps for him every week. There’s no problem there.”
Last season, Pro Football Focus ranked Williams as Detroit’s second-best wide receiver (among those who played more than four games) at run blocking. Wideouts who can block are always valuable in NFL offenses.
Of course, the Lions didn’t trade up in the 2022 NFL draft for Williams because of his blocking. Detroit was attracted to his playmaking ability. He posted 79 receptions for 1,572 yards and 15 touchdowns at Alabama in 2021.
So after “stacking good days” at practice and getting on the field for non-passing situations, the next step for the Lions and Williams is getting him involved in the passing game.
“And then the challenge is, hey, how do we get him the ball? We’ll keep pushing it that way, but I’ve got no problem with where he’s at right now and where he’s going,” said Johnson.