Jameson Williams didn’t make much of a dent on the stat sheet in his 2023 debut in Detroit. Williams, fresh from an early release of his gambling-related suspension from the NFL, caught two passes for two yards. He dropped the other pass thrown his way.
“Jamo” did do some things well in the game, notably his run blocking. It’s a start, something offensive coordinator Ben Johnson wants to build upon with his speedy youngster.
Johnson talked about his view of Williams during his press conference ahead of Detroit’s trip to Tampa for Week 6.
“He’s going to continue to get better every single week,” Johnson said of Williams. “That’s been the biggest issue with Jamo, is the fact that we haven’t been able to stack good days on top of each other since he’s been here. And so, I’m really – he had a great week of practice last week. I’m looking forward to him doing that again this week because that’s the way you get better. That’s the way you gain trust of the play-caller, the quarterback.”
Building that trust with Jared Goff is a big key for Williams, who missed most of his rookie season recovering from knee surgery. Johnson explained why that’s so important to the offense and to Williams’ development.
“The quarterback will play faster, have more anticipation of where he’s going to be, and we’ll be able to continue to give him opportunities to catch the ball and be the playmaker that he’s capable of being.”
Johnson definitely took note of the blocking, which demonstrated impressive effort and technique beyond what’s expected of a greenhorn wideout.
“The coolest thing that came from the game the other day is, the guy is such a big competitor, you see him block in the run game like he is. If he blocks like that, there’ll be snaps for him every week. There’s no problem there. And then the challenge is, ‘Hey, how do we get him the ball?’ And we’ll keep pushing it that way. But I have no problem with where he’s at right now and where he’s going.”
