Report: Lions wide receiver Jameson Williams likely to stay on NFI list to start the season

It’s not a huge surprise, but Lions rookie wide receiver Jameson Williams is reportedly ‘likely’ to stay on the NFI list into the regular season.

As he works his way back from a torn ACL in last season’s national title game, now almost seven months out from the injury, the status of Lions’ rookie wide receiver Jameson Williams for the start of the season has been a question.

Williams was put on NFI (non-football injury) list to start training camp. Remaining on it into the regular season has felt like a decent possibility, as the Lions exercise caution with his recovery.

NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero was at Lions’ training camp on Tuesday. He reported Williams is ‘likely’ to stay on the NFI list into the season.

Williams would then miss at least the first four games of the season. H/t to Pride of Detroit for the pulled quote from Pelissero.

"It sounds likely that he is going to start the season on the NFI list, which would take him out at least four games,” “Probably the most likely timeline for his return is around November. Now, I’ve also talked to people here who say he’s absolutely champing at the bit to get back in right now."

Jameson Williams’ NFL debut coming in November?

Pelissero, a top-notch reporter presumably plugged in to some reliable sources but also using some less than direct language to put out what he has heard here, pushed the timeline for Williams’ NFL debut to possibly November. That would be Week 9, Nov. 6, when the Lions host the Green Bay Packers.

Previous predictions/estimates had put Williams debut date sometime in October. So not a dramatic difference from Pelissero right now, but a notable difference nonetheless when you’re talking a couple extra games the Lions could not have their highly-touted rookie receiver on the field.

An ideal time for Williams to make his NFL debut, as long as he’s physically able, would seem to be coming out of the Lions’ Week 6 bye–Week 7 in Dallas against the Cowboys on Oct. 23. That may be the target date the team has in mind, not that anyone will say it publicly anytime soon.