TAMPA, Fla. — The ball hung in the air. Drifting, drifting, drifting some more. Catch or drop, touchdown or letdown, the opinions of many were ready to be shared.
For the intended target, Detroit Lions wide receiver Jameson Williams, that’s a typical Sunday. But this one was different.
That ball would eventually land. Right into Williams’ outstretched arms, after an on-the-fly adjustment, for a score, on a deep ball that kissed the Tampa sun before touching down for a 45-yard touchdown.
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It was a play Lions fans had been waiting for. It was one that Williams had been waiting for. It reminds you what he can be for this Lions team — now 5-1, tied for the best record in football, with reinforcements like Williams working themselves into the mix.
“I feel like it was a big play for us,” Williams said of his touchdown that helped seal a 20-6 win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (3-2) on Sunday. “It was just momentum, I feel like, for the team. You see how the guys got excited, everybody running up. I was just excited, man. It felt like that play added a little spark for me.”
JamOH BABY!pic.twitter.com/9TVfKpwPxo
— Detroit Lions (@Lions) October 15, 2023
A little spark goes a long way sometimes, and Williams is the ultimate spark plug. Right now, he’s a luxury for one of the best offenses in football. But as he continues to play, continues to navigate life in the NFL and what it takes to be here, the potential still lingers for him to be much, much more.
Of course, when the season began, Williams wasn’t supposed to be eligible to play Sunday. Had his initial six-game suspension for violating the league’s gambling policy not been reduced to four games, he wouldn’t have been able to participate. That suspension is the source of so much frustration regarding Williams, mainly because it was yet another thing that kept him away from football.
The No. 12 pick in 2022 who’s played in just eight of his first 23 games to start his career, Williams is viewed as a raw talent who needs reps to improve. It’s something the coaching staff always points to when his name is brought up. He didn’t get them as a rookie, as he recovered from a torn ACL. He didn’t get as much as the Lions would have liked this summer, after a hamstring injury derailed his preseason. And he didn’t get them while suspended early this season.
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Williams, much to his surprise, learned the news of his reinstatement around the same time as everyone else. The NFL revised its gambling policy and declared him eligible to return in Week 5. GM Brad Holmes was the one who let Williams know, sharing the story on NFL Network this week.
“What’s the best news that you could receive?” Holmes asked Williams.
“Besides me playing?” Williams said in response.
“Dude, that’s it,” Holmes told him. “You’re back.”
Holmes said he’ll never forget that moment, being able to tell Williams he was cleared to return. Lions wide receivers coach Antwaan Randle El, who couldn’t communicate with Williams during his suspension, said Williams yelled his name in the facility from down the hall his first day back, and the two chopped it up after seeing each other. During his absence, Williams’ teammates wore “Free Jamo” T-shirts, and now that he’s back in the locker room, he has a noticeable presence that tends to draw visitors over for conversations.
There seems to be a genuine care for Williams. Now that he’s back, he’s showing he cares, too.
It’s hard not to notice a newfound a sense of urgency from Williams. Part of that comes from the time missed. During his suspension, Williams watched the Lions win without him. They were 3-1 when he was reinstated. A competitor who just wants to be out there on the field, he’d have to earn every snap and prove capable of contributing. Nothing given, everything earned.
That all starts in practice. So when both offensive coordinator Ben Johnson and quarterback Jared Goff say Williams’ first week back was the best week of practice of his young career, and that he continued that this past week, that’s notable.
“It’s continually getting better and he’s continually working hard on everything,” Goff said. “When he does it right, it’s hard to find someone that can do it better. It’s just a matter of getting on the same page and feeling confidence with everything. He’s working hard and it’s fun to get him involved like that to put some credibility to some of the work he has done.”
GO DEEPER
One day following Jameson Williams' every move at Lions training camp
Of course, Williams becoming a factor is going to take time. The Lions are not in the business of force-feeding any one player for the sake of padding stats. Everything has to come within the flow of the offense. There are other ways to impact games, though, as we saw last week.
While the stats from his 2023 debut against the Carolina Panthers — two receptions for 2 yards — were quiet, Williams’ game was loud because of his willingness and eagerness to block. On one particular play, Williams tossed a Panthers cornerback to the ground, paving the way for a David Montgomery touchdown. His blocking flashed multiple times in the game, catching the attention of his offensive coordinator.
“The coolest thing that came from the game the other day is, the guy is such a big competitor,” Johnson said. “You see him block in the run game like he is. If he blocks like that, there’ll be snaps for him every week.”
Picking up right where he left off @MontgomerDavid 💪pic.twitter.com/LHtAI2K532
— Detroit Lions (@Lions) October 8, 2023
His best week of practice. Doing the dirty work for others. That’s how Williams earns the trust of the people in charge of his playing time, and how he shows them he’s ready for more. Results tend to come for those who put in the work. For Williams, that came on Sunday.
With the offense struggling to put points on the board against a stout Tampa Bay defense, this was as tight a game Detroit has played in weeks, leading just 10-6 late in the third quarter.
The Lions were in need of breathing room. So Williams breathed life into the offense.
Re-watch Jamo's TD with the man himself 🎆 pic.twitter.com/FARfX6Nc6Q
— Detroit Lions (@Lions) October 16, 2023
Williams’ touchdown and the subsequent extra point gave the Lions a 17-6 lead, creating some much-needed separation on the scoreboard. It allowed Detroit to play the brand of football it likes — in position to close things out in the fourth quarter — rather than playing tense with a small lead. Williams’ speed changed the game. It’s what the Lions drafted him for.
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What makes the touchdown all the more significant is what happened right before it. Two plays earlier, Williams dropped a pass from Goff, unable to fully work back to his quarterback and secure the catch. It was his second drop in two weeks, an issue that might cause a quarterback or OC to think twice before working back to the receiver in question.
But there was no hesitation. When Williams caught the ball and paraded around the stadium, teammates from all positions ran out to celebrate with him. There was a genuine joy in seeing him make that play.
“I tried to celebrate with him but he’s fast,” running back Craig Reynolds said, laughing. “He was doing the dash around the stadium. … It was a great catch and we needed it. We definitely needed it in a situation like that.”
“Man, that’s my guy,” Lions linebacker Alex Anzalone said. “He’s, like, Mr. Misunderstood. It’s just so great to see him make that play. I hear outside noise for him. … It just makes me so proud to see him do that. Yeah, that’s my guy. I love him.”
Williams has work to do before he lives up to his status as a first-round pick. One game doesn’t change that. There will be growing pains, as he continues to navigate the NFL and how to be a professional. The focus needs to be there, and the mental lapses don’t.
But if this is a sign of things to come, Williams further improves a Detroit Lions team that has the look of one of the NFL’s best.
(Photo: Julio Aguilar / Getty Images)
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