-
Eric Woodyard, ESPN
ALLEN PARK, Mich. – The catches. The drops. The blocks. The speed — and separation.
All eyes are on Jameson Williams during his first NFL training camp.
After missing camp and the first 11 games of his rookie season while recovering from an ACL tear in his left knee, the second-year Detroit Lions receiver will also sit the first six regular season games of 2023, due to suspension for violating the NFL’s gambling policy.
However, Williams is allowed to participate in offseason activities and preseason games where the team is challenging him to improve on catching the ball and limiting dropped passes.
Lions coach Dan Campbell says they’ll “douse him with a ton of game reps” during the upcoming preseason contests against the New York Giants, Jacksonville Jaguars and Carolina Panthers.
“He needs that. As he does practice. But man, and I’m telling you, as with anybody, the more reps he gets, the more time on tests, the more consecutive practices and reps he can put together, he’ll just grow,” Campbell said of Williams. “I really believe that. And I do believe he wants it. I do believe he wants to get better. … So, he’ll grind through this and let’s see where we can go with it.”
Williams returned from a leg injury to participate in his first padded practice of the summer on Monday, struggling at times with drops and during 1-on-1s in the red zone. Things then got physical and he was involved in a skirmish that resulted in him swatting at the helmet of undrafted free agent rookie cornerback Starling Thomas for celebrating in his face after forcing an incompletion.
Wednesday, Williams put together a strong day at camp, catching a 55-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Jared Goff.
The coaching staff is committed to his development as they stress the fundamentals of his hand mechanics and the details of route-running instead of him relying on his speed so often.
“I think it’s just, man, time on task, work through it. Because honestly, there are some things that just the simple change of the way your hands are by ball location – pinkie to pinkie, thumb to thumb – that’ll go a long way for him. And so, we just have to keep working through it,” Campbell said.
Once the final roster cutdown is announced for the Lions, Williams’ suspension will officially begin.
Williams’ longtime trainer Pete Luton, who runs Tight End University in Ft. Lauderdale, Fla., already has a plan in place to keep him sharp and in conditioned while he’s away from the facility.
The point of emphasis this offseason, was not only improving technique, but helping Williams stay confident and “getting him to feel like Jamo from Alabama again” after missing half of his rookie year to injury. That won’t change.
“You think we’re about to sit down? We’re gonna be working,” Luton told ESPN last month. “We already talked about that. We’re gonna be ready like he always has been. You see what happened when he got in there.”
This offseason, Williams has exchanged phone numbers with Lions great Calvin Johnson, benefitted from the early veteran leadership from teammate Marvin Jones Jr., worked out privately in Southern California with Goff and receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown, all while embracing the challenge of Year 2.
As the 2021 No. 12 overall pick — who the Lions traded up 20 spots to select — he understands that his every move will get scrutinized, but he’s excited to show his potential.
“I’m ready,” Williams told ESPN. “Every box you can check it off. I’m ready for it.”
Source: www.espn.com