Over his first two seasons, it simply wasn't on display enough. But a dive into some deeper data showed how Jameson Williams could have a unique impact on the Detroit Lions' offense this season with his speed.
Over the first two games this season, Williams was heavily involved (10 receptions for 200 yards, on 20 targets; two carries for 28 yards) with a 50-plus yard reception in each contest.
In Week 3 against the Arizona Cardinals, Williams had just one catch for nine yards (on three targets) along with a rushing attempt that lost seven yards. The target volume he had over the first two games wasn't sustainable, but it was still a disappointing outing after such a nice start to the season. Jared Goff's 23 pass attempts and an offense that got nothing going in the second half were undeniable factors in Williams' lack of production.
Ben Johnson notes intangible impact Jameson Williams already has on Lions' offense
Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson talked to reporters on Friday. He was asked about the effort to take some deep shots in the passing game, particularly early against Arizona, and the general league-wide trend early this season that has deep passing/air yards being suppressed.
"It’s a small sample size so far, so I don’t want to go too far down that road, but I will say the Jameson effect is starting to play out already," Johnson said. "We hit a big play in the first game, and a big play to him in the second game. Last week, you could tell early in that game that they weren’t going to allow him get over the top. So we’ll see if that trend continues."
Over the first two games of the season, the Los Angeles Rams and Tampa Buccaneers' defenses clearly wanted to take away one or both of Amon-Ra St. Brown and Sam LaPorta. That became a natural concession to allowing Williams to see more targets and be productive, which he was within an expanded route tree. He showed himself as someone that has to be accounted for.
Johnson confirmed being content to run the ball if the Lions' get a lot of two-high safety looks. Williams is the one Lions' receiver who can really tilt how defenses play coverage due to having to account for his speed, which in turn can raise the level of the entire offense.
Johnson offered a name for the concept, probably without even realizing it-"the Jameson effect."