Lions ‘optimistic’ rookie wide receiver Jameson Williams will play this season

It has never seemed to be a serious question to that end, but the Lions are optimistic rookie wide receiver Jameson Williams will suit up this season.

Coming off a torn ACL in January’s national title game playing for Alabama, it has always been, or seemed to be anyway, a question of “when, not if” Lions rookie wide receiver Jameson Williams would play this season.

With the bye week now in the rearview mirror, that time seems to be coming soon. Seems to be.

On Wednesday, via Tim Twentyman of the Lions’ website, head coach Dan Campbell talked about Williams’ progress in his rehab.

"We really felt like he’s turning the corner over the last month,” Campbell said of Williams, who’s been rehabbing a torn ACL suffered in the National Championship Game back in January. “He’s really – we feel like he’s really coming on, and so, I would say we’re pretty optimistic he’s going to play this year."

Lions are ‘pretty optimistic’ Jameson Williams will play this season?

Campbell assured reporters that injuries elsewhere to the Lions’ wide receiver corps (DJ Chark, Amon-Ra St. Brown, Josh Reynolds, Quintez Cephus) would have no bearing on when Williams plays.

"Now, that being said, the injuries are not going to have any bearing on when he plays. We’re not going to let that affect us. When he’s ready, then we’ll get him up and ready to go, but we don’t want to press that just because we have a number of injuries in the receiver room.”"

Drafting Williams, and moving up to No. 12 to get him, was always a multi-year play for the Lions and general manager Brad Holmes with him coming off a major injury. Anything very notable he contributed this season as a rookie was going to be regarded as a bonus, and in light of how good the Lions’ offense has looked thus far (Week 5 aside) his looming addition to the mix almost feels superfluous.

November has seemed to be the target time for Williams to make his debut, with some indications before the bye (via Jeff Risdon of Lions Wire) Thanksgiving Week 12 against the Buffalo Bills might be the date. But that is now more of a question than it has seemed, and idea the team is optimistic Williams will play at all this season is new.