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It could be months before the Detroit Lions see wide receiver Jameson Williams on the field again.
ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported on Thursday, August 17, that Williams suffered a hamstring injury that is expected to keep him out for the remainder of the preseason. The second-year wide receiver will already be out for the first six weeks of the season after the league suspended him for violating gambling rules, so the next time the Lions see him on the field could be at the end of October.
Rough Day for Lions
Wednesday was a difficult day for the Lions as both Williams and No. 1 receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown went down with injuries during joint practices with the Jacksonville Jaguars. The team’s website noted that St. Brown injured his lower leg when a defender fell on him during a 7-on-7 drill at the August 16 practice. He limped off the field and was tended to by the team’s medical staff.
Williams suffered an injury not long afterward, the report noted.
“A little later in practice second-year wide receiver Jameson Williams was running a go route down the right sideline when he slowed up and grabbed at the back of his right leg around his hamstring area,” reporter Tim Twentyman noted. “He immediately walked off to get attention. He was spotted a little later walking off the practice field gingerly with a trainer and into the facility.”
With Williams out, it could create an opportunity for the team’s other receivers. Veteran Marvin Jones said on Wednesday that they need to be ready to step in when needed.
“Whatever happens in this league, it’s, ‘Hey, we need people to step up.’ It gives them more reps and as many reps as they could have, that could benefit them,” Jones said Wednesday, according to WZZM. “They always have to take advantage of that.”
Missed Opportunity for Jameson Williams
Williams had endured an up-and-down offseason, showing flashes of strong play mixed in with struggles with concentration and drops.
SI.com’s John Maakaron noted on the All Lions podcast that the second-year receiver looked to be behind on his development, especially compared to St. Brown’s strong performances throughout offseason practices.
“You have to put yourself in the context that I’m watching Amon-Ra every single day catch the ball every day, look crisp and understand the complete what he needs to be doing, and Jameson Williams isn’t there yet,” Maakaron said. “It’s not a slight, obviously he’s young and there are reasons for it, but what I’m saying is at this point you would still expect Jameson to be just further ahead than where he is.”
Williams also faced criticism for his maturity, especially after a high-profile spat at the start of training camp that led to him throwing a punch at rookie cornerback Sterling Thomas IV. As MLive.com’s Kyle Meinke noted, Williams ran into some other struggles before lashing out at his teammate.
“Rough start for Jameson Williams in his first padded practice of the summer,” Meinke tweeted. “Dropped two balls against air, then went 0-3 during red zone one-on-ones and took a swat at the head of UDFA Starling Thomas.”
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