DETROIT – Dan Campbell revealed yet another setback for one of the Detroit Lions’ promising young players, as wide receiver Jameson Williams could miss the rest of the preseason before serving a suspension.
The Lions knew Williams would miss most of his rookie season when they drafted him in 2022. The talented wideout was rehabbing a torn ACL from the national championship game, but Detroit still traded up with a division rival to select him with the No. 12 pick.
Williams appeared in the team’s final six games last year, and his talent was obvious. His only catch went for a 41-yard touchdown, and another score was called back due to penalty. He carried the ball one time and gained 40 yards.
It doesn’t take more than a few plays to see what the Lions saw: When Williams touches the ball, good things happen.
The Lions expected Williams to begin the 2023 season as the No. 2 receiver behind Amon-Ra St. Brown, but in April, he was suspended six games due to an NFL gambling technicality. That means, at best, Williams would be allowed to return Oct. 22 at Baltimore.
So, between missing all of his rookie training camp, most of his first season, and more than a third of the upcoming year, the 2023 preseason seemed like a very important stage in Williams’ development.
Unfortunately, that has also been cut short. Campbell confirmed Thursday that there’s a chance Williams will miss the rest of the preseason due to a hamstring injury. Weighing the risk of injury against the minimal reward of preparing a player who has to sit out for six weeks, it doesn’t feel like the right spot to gamble.
Williams has elite speed and can take the top off a defense, which is why the Lions were so excited to pair him with St. Brown. But he was always going to need some polish, and that keeps hitting roadblocks. Campbell and his staff have to be wondering whether Williams will end up being much of a factor at all in 2023.