The best wide receiver duo in the NFC North may quickly reside in the Motor City

If the Detroit Lions get what they expect, the best wide receiver duo in the NFC North may quickly reside in the Motor City.

The Detroit Lions have one of the best young wide receivers in the league in Amon-Ra St. Brown. St. Brown already owns the franchise records over his first two seasons. He is also the youngest wide receiver in team history to have 1,000 receiving yards in a season.

Offensive coordinator Ben Johnson has already made St. Brown a focal point in the Lions’ offense, but there are plans to expand his role even more in 2023.

Jameson Williams transferred to Alabama for his final college season, and he had 1,572 yards on 79 receptions with 15 touchdowns. Lions fans got a small sample of what he could do toward the end of the 2022 season. Willams touched the ball twice in a limited role over six games, and both plays went for at least 40 yards. The first was a 41-yard touchdown pass from Jared Goff vs. Minnesota in Week 14. The other was a 40-yard run against Chicago in Week 17.

Via Tim Twentyman of the Lions’ website, as has been made clear before, general manager Brad Holmes was outward about the expecations for Williams in Year 2 at the NFL Scouting Combine.

"We’re just gonna continue to do everything that we need to do to make sure that he’s set up to succeed. He’s got rare talent, rare ability. He’s got a serious passion for the game. We expect big things from him, but obviously, we’ve got to do both our parts to make sure he’s successful.”"

The Detroit Lions could quickly have the best WR duo in the NFC North

For year, with Stefon Diggs and Adam Thielen then with Justin Jefferson replacing Diggs, the Minnesota Vikings have had the the best wide receiver duo in the NFC North. That era is over, as the Vikings released Thielen last Friday.

St. Brown and Williams taking that mantle depends on Williams getting in sync with Goff. He spent most of 2022 working his way back from an ACL injury, and it was evident Goff and Williams need time to mesh on the field. Goff underthrew the speedy wide receiver on some downfield attempts. It took almost half a season for St. Brown to get his timing down with Goff in 2021. However, when the pair got in sync St. Brown’s numbers went through the roof.

If the Lions get what they expect from Williams, and St. Brown continues to add elements to his game, in short order the best wide receiver duo in the NFC North will reside in the Motor City.