For the second straight offseason, Jameson Williams was the subject of plenty of offseason hype. After taking a notable step last season, bigger things seemed to be in store this season. There was talk of how new offensive coordinator John Morton was expanding his route tree, which correlated t ideas he might threaten Amon-Ra St. Brown as the No. 1 target in the Detroit Lions' passing game.
Through five games, that has not yet come to fruition. Struggles connecting with Jared Goff in Week 4 against the Cleveland Browns (two catches on eight targets) fostered thoughts of a big rebound for Williams in Week 5 against the Cincinnati Bengals.
Williams ended up with just one catch (on one target) for nine yards against the Bengals. But how he has to be accounted for as a deep threat opened things up big-time for St. Brown (eight receptions for 100 yards) and tight end Sam LaPorta (five catches for 92 yards and a touchdown).
Jameson Williams' threat as a deep receiver draws both defenders, giving Amon-Ra St. Brown ALL OF THE MIDDLE OF THE FIELD to work with. pic.twitter.com/sVINm83QMT
— Jeremy Reisman (@DetroitOnLion) October 6, 2025
Williams' work as a blocker will sometimes go unnoticed in the moment, but he is absolutely part of the "no block, no rock" mentality the Lions' wide receivers profess and practice. That is obviously the kind of thing coaches will notice on a regular basis as a key contribution to winning.
Dan Campbell is just fine with the work Jameson Williams is doing
On Monday, head coach Dan Campbell was asked to elaborate on the work Williams is doing away from the ball
"He gets a lot of attention put his way when he’s out there", Campbell said. "They don’t particularly want him to go over their heads. So there’s a lot of looks where either they stay deep, very deep, or they play a shell look over the top of him."
"So, there are a lot of looks where either they stay deep, very deep, or they play a shell look over the top of him. It’s not always the easiest thing. You’re a receiver, and you feel like the best way to help is to get the targets."
“But he helped in other ways, and he didn’t let it affect him. And he was going to help those other guys downfield. He was going to help our runners, and he did. He showed up in a big way, man. He was physical in the run game. He’s a team guy, man. And we appreciate that about him.
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Williams has just five catches over the last three games, which has led to some questions about the Lions' decision to give him a three-year, $80 million contract extension a little more than a month ago. But he has kept the proper mindset all along, knowing his day will come, and whatever outside noise there might be about his lack of numbers is being ignored by everyone who matters the most.