Detroit Lions wide receiver Jameson Williams has gotten off to a slow start to his 2026 season. However, wide receivers coach Scottie Montgomery is not worried about the slow start.
Montgomery noted in his media availability that the team is drawing up plays for him, but the defense is giving him extra attention. So, the coaches are fine with the lack of production because his getting others open.
“Scottie Montgomery said the Lions try to put Jameson Williams in the “first part of the progression” on plays — but teams aim to take him out of the play early. If you choose to double he and St. (Brown), then you get one-on-one matchups with (LaPorta, Gibbs, TeSlaa),” tweeted Brad Galli.
“If you choose to double he and St. (Brown), then you get one-on-one matchups with (LaPorta, Gibbs, TeSlaa).”
Montgomery added that one play the team had a design for Williams to get open. However, three players crashed on Williams and it caused Sam LaPorta to scream open for a big gain.
“Scottie Montgomery on the Jamo effect: Jets “had a corner designated to him, the safety came down, and the backside player” on LaPorta’s long gain in 3Q. “So we had three guys guarding Jamo. That puts us at a pretty good advantage.” Jamo occupied the triple by “pressing the gas,” tweeted Will Burchfield.
Williams has just 10 receptions for 127 yards in three games this year.
Detroit Lions Are Not Worried About Jameson Williams Production
While it is fair to note that Williams is opening up the rest of the offense, it is not for lack of targets that Williams is struggling. He has 17 targets this season, which would put him on pace for 102. That would tie his target total last year, which was a career-high.
The difference is that his yards per target is down from 11 to 7.5. He is less efficient when they are going his way.
This could be because the opposition is all over him. Still, they are wasting passes by throwing to him. Amon-Ra St. Brown has a 66% catch rate when targeted, and Sam LaPorta is at 74%. Jahmyr Gibbs gets easy targets but is at 86%. Meanwhile, Williams is at 59%. That is down from 64% last year and would be his worst rate since 2023, when he was at 57%.
His drop rate is slightly up, from 10.8% in his career to 16.7% this season. He is not quite as impactful, even if the defense is locking in on him.
Detroit Lions Need to Get More From Jameson Williams
Williams has progressed every year in his NFL career. He had just 41 yards in an injured rookie season. However, he bounced back with 354 yards the following season. His big breakout was in 2024, when he had 1,001 yards and seven touchdowns.
In 2025, he beat that, with 1,117 yards. However, he is not coming out nearly as hot this year. Williams is averaging 42.3 yards per game, which has him on pace for 719 yards this season.
He was never going to beat the year prior every season for the rest of his career. At the same time, that is a notable drop-off.
Lions Coach Gets Candid on Jameson Williams’ Slow Start