It's not time to worry about Jameson Williams - here's why

Jameson Williams is off to a slow start statistically in 2025.

Aside from a two-catch, 108 yard, one touchdown day against Chicago, Williams’ output on the stat sheet has been modest to begin the year. He’s caught a combined nine passes for 115 yards in Detroit’s other four games and caught just one pass for nine yards in Detroit’s recent 37-24 win in Cincinnati.

For a receiver who just inked a three year, $83 million dollar extension, it hasn’t been the output many expected. Fantasy football players and sports bettors alike have been banging the drum all season about Williams’ stats, wondering aloud “what happened” to him or why the Lions supposedly “don’t use” the speedster.

But for those who view football as more than a collection of numbers on the box score, Williams’ impact warrants a closer look.

Williams is, without a doubt, one of the deadliest deep threats in the NFL. Over the last two seasons, he’s recorded six touchdown receptions over 40 yards, the second-most in the NFL during that span. His ability to take the top off of defenses is his signature.

Which means, of course, that Lions opponents are doing what they can to prevent Williams from burning them deep. Teams will often keep a safety high to take away the deep shot, and the Bengals refused to allow anything down the field to him on Sunday.

But everything in football has a tradeoff. Cincinnati’s focus on bracketing Williams deep left the middle of the field wide open on numerous occasions. It allowed Amon-Ra St. Brown and Sam LaPorta to feast underneath. 

St. Brown caught eight passes for 100 yards and LaPorta had his most productive game of the season with five catches for 92 yards and a touchdown.

Williams’ gravity as a deep threat forces defenses to allocate extra resources his way, lest they get torched. But since Detroit has a stellar run game and the best slot receiver in the league, all that really does is force opponents to pick their poison. It’s a big reason why the Lions currently have the most points in the NFL with 174.

Speaking of running the ball, Williams drew praise from head coach Dan Campbell for his help there as a blocker.

“He didn't have this high production of the catches, the targets, but man, his blocking was outstanding in the run game,” Campbell said. “All day long, he was physical, getting after it. So he found another way to help us produce and help the offense.”

The Lions have arguably the most loaded skill position group in the league, or at least one of the top three. There are a lot of mouths to feed on that offense, and their skillsets complement one another.  When you focus too hard on taking one guy away, it opens up another to have a big day. 

It’s sort of like a game of whack-a-mole. 

“There's a lot of looks where either they stay deep, or they play a shell look over the top of him. And it's not always the easiest thing,” Campbell said. “You’re a receiver, you feel like that's the best way to help is you get the targets. But, man, he helped in other ways and he didn't let it affect him. And he was going to help those other guys downfield, he was going to help our runners and he did… He's a team guy, man, and we appreciate that about him.”

READ MORE: Sam LaPorta leads a big day for Lions' tight ends against Bengals

Receiver is, of course, the “give me the damn ball” position, to quote one Keyshawn Johnson. But that’s not the culture in Detroit.

They pride themselves on their selflessness and doing the little things. Winning is the ultimate goal, and there’s a belief that everyone can eat eventually if they all do their job the right way.

“I can’t be out there pouting while the game’s going on, because the play could come my way and then I wouldn’t be in the right mindset,” Williams said a few weeks ago. “So I just keep a good mind when I’m out there on the field.”

It won’t matter to anyone’s parlay or fantasy team, but Williams’ impact on the game truly goes beyond the stat sheet. His mere presence on the field opens up so much for Detroit’s offense, and he’s as aware of that as anybody. That’s where the $83 million comes in, after all.

And sure, Detroit would probably like to get more statistical production out of a player they’ve invested a lot of resources in. But if Detroit keeps rolling offensively the way they have been, you’ve gotta think that’s coming. 

“You can’t get the ball every play [with] how many stars we’ve got,” Williams said. “The ball gotta get spread around. Everybody’s gonna have their day.”