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After a breakout 2024 season, Lions fans should be celebrating the rise and redemption arc of Jameson Williams, not debating his long-term fit.

Hey, here’s an idea: how about we let Jameson Williams play this upcoming season before we start making plans for his future, yeah?

I know. I get it. You’re still not over how he missed the majority of his rookie season with an ACL injury he suffered in the National Championship game that same year. You might still be stuck on how a 23-year-old could make some questionable decisions, like lighting off fireworks or getting suspended for gambling while on the job site. And he still didn’t learn from those mistakes. After all, he was suspended again for “PEDs” last year, and that incident with a gun, surely all that would prevent him from reaching his potential, right?

Wait, he finished 2024 as one of the most dynamic big-play threats in the NFL? Of the 94 wide receivers with at least 45 targets, Williams finished fourth in yards per reception (17.3) and third in yards after catch per reception (8.4). But what about his hands? I remember how his hands were a huge problem at training camp, and he was catching the ball with his body too much… He posted the 18th-best drop rate (3.3%, two drops) and finished ahead of similarly targeted receivers like DeVonta Smith and Nico Collins (both at 5.6% and four drops a piece) and Jaylen Waddle (9.4%, six drops).

Alright, so he had one good season; that doesn’t mean you empty out your wallet for the guy. The Detroit Lions are stock-full of skill position players, some that may need extensions after this season, like Sam LaPorta. Even Brad Holmes admitted that wide receivers are expensive, “very expensive,” in fact. But what seems to get glossed over from Holmes’ media availability at the owners meetings was what he had to say earlier about Jamo.

“Look, he was a tremendous player for us last year,” Holmes said. “He’s still scratching the surface. I do think he’s got more in him as well. So I just think it just makes sense for us to do what we can to keep him around.”

Sounds like a player that the general manager thinks pretty highly of, but I wonder what the coaches think of him…

“Unbelievable. Just unbelievable,” new offensive coordinator John Morton had to say about his first impression of Williams. “When I first got here, he came in to see me, we had a chat, and I’m painting the picture, ‘This is what you need to do, this is how I see it,’ and he has been unbelievable. Unbelievable in the meetings, the attention to detail; I mean, I’m so excited to see him this year.”

Even the guy heading up this whole operation, Dan Campbell, is excited for what’s to come for Williams, even looking to him as one of the focal points for the offense moving forward.

“The sky’s the limit for him,” Campbell said ahead of Friday’s session of OTAs. “He’s exactly where we want him to be right now at this point.

He’s been here, he’s grinding, he’s getting better. Scottie [Montgomery] is freakin’ grinding him. It’s awesome. But we expect him to have a huge season. We really do, man. He’s going to be one of these guys that we’re going to lean on this year and is really going to be big for us. All he’s got to do is just keep working like he’s working, and we’ll be good.”

And the chemistry between Williams and quarterback Jared Goff, the trust and communication between the two, it continues to develop. Goff recognized how far Jamo has come in those respects and marveled at the growth he’s seen in Williams consistency and leadership.

“He’s already made it, man. It’s been awesome to see. He’s done a hell of a job,” Goff said last week. “Just continue to do what he’s done, and just get more consistent—and he’s done that. He really has. He’s working hard, he’s being a leader now, which is fun to see him grow into that and show guys how he wants to do things. He’s talking to me a ton. It’s fun, man.”

Here’s the bottom line: Williams is a vital piece of the Lions’ offensive success—and that was already true in 2024.

It wasn’t just the emergence of Jahmyr Gibbs last season, Williams played a key role in taking Detroit’s offense to another level. The coaches are gushing about him and predicting a “breakout” season for a player who already had that type of season a year ago—the general manager echoed that with his “still scratching the surface” comment, too.

So, instead of spending the offseason drumming up potential exit strategies for Detroit’s 24-year-old receiver still realizing his potential, how about we embrace the integral role he’ll play for the Lions? After all, tough times don’t last, but tough people do, and that feels especially true for the redemption of Jameson Williams.

Observations from the Detroit Lions’ OTA practice on Friday—Day 3.

On Friday, the Detroit Lions welcomed media to Organized Team Activities (OTAs) for the first time this offseason. It was the team’s third practice in a row and last of the week. Practice was split between walkthroughs, positional drills, 11-on-11s, a brief special teams drill, and finished with some 7-on-7 work.

Here are my observations on each position:

Quarterback

Not much to say about Jared Goff’s day. He was without his safety blanket in Amon-Ra St. Brown, so a lot of his targets went to Sam LaPorta.

It wasn’t a particularly great day for the backups. Hendon Hooker was QB2 for the day and missed several deep shots. During individual drills, he overshot Tim Patrick. Then during 11-on-11s, he overthrew running back Kye Robichaux, and wide receiver Jackson Meeks. Kyle Allen tested the defense deep twice, and he, too, misfired both times—once to Kalif Raymond, the other to nobody in particular.

Running backs

With no David Montgomery, we saw a lot of Jahmyr Gibbs and Craig Reynolds with the ones. Without getting into specifics, it certainly seems like the Lions are playing around different ways they can use Gibbs. Robichaux got a significant amount of use, given the Lions’ reserves were thin without Sione Vaki. He flashed some explosiveness, but it’s hard to gauge running back play without anyone tackling.

Tight ends

As mentioned earlier, the Goff-to-LaPorta connection was alive and well. Shane Zylstra also flashed a couple times in the receiving game, including a sliding catch on a pass from a scrambling Allen.

Wide receiver

It was a relatively quiet day for Jameson Williams, but he was noticeably a bit bigger out there—although he said he’s only put on five pounds of strength.

Dominic Lovett and Tom Kennedy were probably the most frequent targets out there, and it’s easy to see how the rookie thrives right now in 7-on-7s and minimal contact. He’s shifty and fast. The challenge will be when the pads come on.

I thought the best receiver out there was Tim Patrick, sporting the brand-new #12. He was strong over the middle, finding soft spots in zones and flexing his good hands.

Offensive line

Here’s what the starting OL looked like from left to right with no Frank Ragnow:

LT: Taylor Decker

LG: Christian Mahogany

C: Tate Ratledge

RG: Graham Glasgow

RT: Penei Sewell

I did not see Ratledge take a single snap at anything other than center during practice, so it’s clear Detroit is serious about cross-training him.

There was a lot of mixing and matching with the second and third strings, but Giovanni Manu (left) and Dan Skipper (right) were predominantly the backup tackles. If I had to label who were the second string guards, Netane Muti (left) and Kayode Awosika (right) got the most time there.

Perhaps the most shocking development was one series in which Colby Sorsdal was in at center. It didn’t last long, and there was a low snap in there, but it’s certainly notable that they’re trying to find a place for the third-year lineman. Kingley Eguakun and Michael Niese took over after that short experiment.

Defensive line

If Aidan Hutchinson was limited in this practice, it wasn’t by much. He got plenty of playing time, and, quite honestly, he looked just as explosive as ever.

Marcus Davenport also stood out… literally. It was a good reminder of just how big he is (6-foot-6, 285) compared to every other edge defender out there. He was able to knock down a pass with Penei Sewell opposite him, but he also later jumped offsides during a fourth-and-15 situational drill—handing the win to the offense.

Elsewhere, there was a neat moment on the final 11-on-11 of the day from rookie Ahmed Hassanein. He pulled off a nifty move inside on the right tackle, got to the quarterback, and hit the brakes before hitting him. He immediately turned and pointed to where the rest of the defensive linemen and DL coach Kacy Rodgers were and let out several roars.

Pat O’Connor may have had the best rep of any defensive lineman. During 11-on-11s, he got a great jump on the snap, slipped by the interior lineman, and got to the quarterback in about two seconds.

Chris Smith and Roy Lopez got first-team work with now DJ Reader, Levi Onwuzurike, Mekhi Wingo, and Alim McNeill practicing. One thing to keep in mind here is that Jack Campbell was asked which player on either side of the ball has stuck out to him so far. His answer: Chris Smith.

Linebackers

With no Jack Campbell, Malcolm Rodriguez, Derrick Barnes, and Alex Anzalone, it was an opportunity for Detroit’s depth to get early reps. Newcomer Zach Cunningham, Trevor Nowaske, and Grant Stuard all had time with the first team.

During walkthroughs, Stuard got his helmet knocked off and nearly started a scrum—which is probably the best display of Stuard’s intensity.

Cornerbacks

Again, injuries forced some interesting names into the lineup here. D.J. Reed played sparingly, leaving Ennis Rakestraw and Rock Ya-Sin to spend a lot of time working with the starters on the outside. Rakestraw had a very up-and-down day. He nearly picked off Goff during seven-on-sevens but struggled in other opportunities.

Safeties

Avonte Maddox filled in for Brian Branch at safety alongside Kerby Joseph. Joseph had an active day, with the highlight being a diving pass breakup intended for Kalif Raymond.

Special teams

The Lions ran some punt drills on Friday. Of note, Loren Strickland and Grant Stuard served as personal protectors, while Ya-Sin and Rakestraw served as the first gunners up. Other players serving as gunner during drills: Lovett, Patrick, Jakobie Keeney-James, and Ronnie Bell. Keeney-James actually rotated between gunner and punt returner, perhaps expanding his value on teams.

Miscellaneous

This may have been the loudest OTAs I’ve ever witnessed. Lions coaches were barking at each other at levels that challenged the good old Duce Staley vs. Aaron Glenn days.

A funny/briefly scary moment during individual drills: LaPorta was running a route over the middle when he accidentally collided with offensive

coordinator John Morton, who was not looking in his direction. LaPorta went tumbling to the ground while Morton was unscathed. The Lions’ tight end immediately got up and threw his towel in the air, pretending to call a penalty on Morton. Thankfully, no one was injured.