Detroit Lions wide receiver Jameson Williams interacts with fans at training camp on Saturday, July 27, 2024, in Allen Park, Michigan.(AP Photo/Jose Juarez)
After the first week of the Detroit Lions’ training camp, wide receiver Jameson Williams has a feeling about the 2024 NFL season.
“I feel a lot different from the past two years,” Williams said. “I don’t know what’s different about it, but I just feel different. I can’t even really tell you what’s the real reason of it because I don’t really know. It’s just coming out here and having a lot of fun. I’m having a lot more fun than I was.”
In the past few days, Lions coach Dan Campbell has tried to put his finger on the difference that he’s seen in the former Alabama pass-catcher.
During an appearance on NFL Network on Saturday, Campbell said: “He’s more mature, and, look, he banked some good reps last year. I mentioned this in the spring: He really came back refreshed, on point, focused and he just continued now, so he’s a more mature guy, he’s bought in and he’s putting in the work. And because of that, he’s just continuing to get better and better.”
At his press conference on Monday, Campbell said: “This is the most confident I’ve seen him since he’s been here. He came in with the right mindset when we started this offseason, and that has not waned one bit. He’s in a good place, and he’s taken to coaching. He’s trying to work on it. He’s improving, and he’s making plays, so we like where he’s at mentally and emotionally.”
On thing that’s different for Williams this year: He’ll start the season on time. An injury delayed his NFL debut until Detroit’s 12th game of the season in 2022, and an NFL suspension caused him to miss the first four games in 2023.
“It’s helped me a lot,” Williams said on Monday. “We got a game coming up in month or so, and we can just focus on that. … It’s just good being out here and not having to worry about when the season start I got to do this or when the season start I got to do this because when the season start this year, I’m going to be on the field. It’s a whole lot better.”
The Lions traded up to obtain Williams with the 12th choice in the 2022 NFL Draft even though they knew his rookie season would be delayed. Williams sustained a torn anterior cruciate ligament in the CFP national-championship contest for the 2021 season. He wasn’t able to practice with his NFL teammates until Nov. 21, 2022, and made his debut on Dec. 4, 2022.
On the field for 78 offensive snaps in six games, Williams had one reception for 41 yards and a touchdown and one rushing attempt for 40 yards in his rookie season.
On April 21, 2023, the NFL suspended Williams for six games for violating the league’s gambling policy. The suspension ended up costing Williams four games after a change in the rules.
Williams had 24 receptions for 354 yards and two touchdowns and three rushing attempts for 29 yards and one touchdown in 12 regular-season games in his second NFL season.
“I came back on a mission,” Williams said about 2024. “My mission was to be the best player I could be, get back to where I was before I was injured. That was just my goal. I had goals I wanted to reach. I wanted to come out and just be explosive, be a big part of the team, and that’s been my main thing since we lost going into the next season. …
“I feel good. I feel real good. I feel explosive. I feel like I’m making plays. I’m just out there with the energy, I’m bringing the team up. I’m energizing the team every day. That’s just my goal – to bring the energy to the team, get the defense going, get the offense going, even special teams, even the coach if it’s got to be that.”
Detroit’s 2023 season ended in a 34-31 loss to the San Francisco 49ers in the Lions’ first trip to the NFC Championship Game since the 1991 campaign. Williams ended his second NFL season with two receptions for 25 yards and one touchdown and a 42-yard touchdown run against San Francisco.
“I feel comfortable,” Williams said on Monday. “That just comes with being out there playing football, getting the ball in my hands, knowing what I’m doing mainly.”
Detroit starts its three-game preseason schedule on Aug. 8 against the New York Giants and kicks off its regular-season slate on Sept. 8 against the Los Angeles Rams.
“I want to be the best to ever play the game at my position, and I’m just getting started,” Williams said. “I’m Year 3 right now. I feel like I got a long way to go. I got a lot of stuff to work on, and it’s just that. I just keep my head down and keep working. I know I can be better every day at a little something. I can’t be the best at everything. I’m just fast, I got to always work on something else. That be my main thing, though – working on everything, every little thing, piecing it together so maybe one day I could be the best.”
