It’s no surprise to anyone who has been around the Detroit Lions at any point this summer, or to those who closely follow the team. But we now have a public acknowledgment of the status:
First-round rookie wide receiver Jameson Williams will not play in Week 1 against the Philadelphia Eagles.
Williams continues to recover and rehab from surgery to repair a torn ACL six months ago. He remains on Detroit’s non-football injury list (because the injury happened prior to joining the NFL) and it’s widely expected that’s where Williams will remain for at least the first few weeks of the 2022 season. However, ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler coaxed an admission from the team itself that Williams won’t be ready for the regular-season opener.
‘We’re going to be very smart with him,” Fowler quoted Lions GM Brad Holmes as saying about Williams. “He’s in a good place right now.”
The conventional wisdom in Allen Park is that Williams will remain sidelined until the Lions return from their Week 6 bye, pushing a return to October 23rd against the Dallas Cowboys. Staying on the NFI list to start the year forces Williams to miss at least the first four games.
Williams has not done more than be the designated ball catcher to hand the ball back to the coaches. He has not publicly run or even lightly jogged with trainers during any practice sessions thus far.
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