Detroit Lions Film Review: Jameson Williams Returns
The NFL surprised everyone two weeks ago by reinstating Detroit Lions wide receiver Jameson Williams. We should all know by now that Williams was suspended by the NFL over the summer for gambling at the Lions team facility in Allen Park.
Williams was given the opportunity to play in the first game of his second NFL season against the Carolina Panthers. Expectations were certainly high for Williams, as they have always been. After all, the Lions traded up in the 2022 NFL Draft to take him with the 12th overall choice out of Alabama.
Despite having only one career reception after his rookie season, there is still lot of hope that Williams can become the player everyone expected him to be. Let’s go into the film room to see what we witnessed from Jameson Williams in his 2023 season debut!
Let’s just get this drop out of the way first. When you look at the play above, there is no doubt that it is disheartening. That’s how it should be. Williams mentioned before the game versus Carolina that he served his punishment by catching footballs on a jugs machine at his house. When speaking with reporters, he revealed that he caught “about 100 balls per day.” All of it sounds wonderful, but it’s critical that positive results follow.
Looking at the above play, you’ll notice Williams highlighted in the slot. Williams runs a whip route back towards the middle of the field as the Lions come out in a 22 set. You can see how the two defenders in the same zone as Williams let him run free as both defenders make a mistake while attempting to attack the swing route out of the backfield.
Jared Goff notices this right away and finds Williams wide open. He delivers a pass directly to Williams, like he should. Unfortunately, it appears that Williams misjudges the speed of the pass, causing his hands to be slightly late in attempting to secure the pass. This leads to the evident drop, and many believe he could have scored on the play. While all of that is plausible, it appears like Williams was hit by an inside linebacker who was coming downhill on purpose. It’s a tough drop to behold, but it’s all part of the game.
Moving on to Jameson Williams’ more positive plays, we come to his best play of the day. Focusing on the above play, the Lions line up in an I-formation with 21 players (two rushing backs and one tight end).
Williams is located in the slot (at the top of the screen). After snapping the ball, he releases upfield towards the safety who comes down to the box. As David Montgomery looks for an opening, he bounces the run to the outside, where Williams helps seal the perimeter, giving him a clear opportunity at racing along the sideline for the touchdown.
In addition to Williams’ strong block, Graham Glasgow (RG 60) made a superb pull to kick-out an inside linebacker. Meanwhile, Marvin Jones (WR 0) had an excellent block on the outside. All of these contributed to Montgomery’s opportunity. These types of blocks will lead to opportunities for Williams. This will provide him opportunities for the Lions offense on both passing and running downs.
Goff, on the other hand, makes the mistake of not spending enough time gazing to the middle of the field as he swiftly assesses the field. If he did, I believe we can all agree that he would have recognized Jameson Williams opening up on the deep crosser.
Instead, Goff checks it down to the running back, resulting in a fourth-down stop for the Panthers. The good news from this play is that the explosiveness and speed displayed by Williams’ routes were visible on the above play. This will eventually hit, and it will lead to more positives for the Lions offense.
Finally, I’d want to highlight Williams’ lone reception, which resulted in positive yardage. Earlier in the game, he caught a planned screen for a loss of two yards. However, as we can see in the play above, the Lions use pre-snap motion with Sam LaPorta (TE 87) to get into a trips right configuration.
Goff will toss the ball to Williams on a planned screen after the ball is snapped. Most people won’t be moved by this play, but it’s worth noting that you can see some of his explosiveness. Fortunately, the above play resulted in a four-yard gain, giving Williams an official stat line of two receptions for two yards.
While that isn’t a drool-worthy stat line, it is encouraging to see Williams progressing toward a role in the offense. Whether through intentional screens or long crossers, he appears to be getting more ball as the season develops.
With Amon-Ra St. Brown and Jahmyr Gibbs out, the return of Jameson Williams is critical for the Lions offense. Many fans will focus on Williams’ flaws anytime he gets onto the field, but try not to linger on those errors. It’s a long season, and we need him to perform if the fans want this to work. With the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on the Lions’ upcoming schedule, I expect more snaps for the skilled receiver, and I believe it might be a breakout game for him.
Williams was on the field for 28 of the Lions’ 60 offensive snaps. That was the same number as fellow wide receiver Josh Reynolds. Without a doubt, Reynolds had a far better stat line, but Williams’ number of snaps in his season debut is a good indication.
