'He’s Still Developing': Brad Holmes Defends Jameson Williams
Detroit Lions general manager Brad Holmes understands that young players need time to develop in the NFL.
For Jameson Williams, being a first-round draft pick has magnified the coverage of all of his actions on the field at training camp.
His first real training camp, Williams' ups and downs have sparked debates, almost on a daily basis.
Without question, the ex-Crimson Tide wideout has game-changing speed, but a growing concern among supporters has been the elevated number of drops at each practice.
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“He’s such a young player and he’s still developing and he’s still growing. Player development is paramount with us inside this building," general manager Brad Holmes told 97.1 The Ticket in a radio interview. "We’ll keep making sure that he’s gonna be surrounded with the right structure and continue to develop with the coaching and the resources that we have in place. He’s got game-changing talent but he’s just a young player."
Despite the noise surrounding a young, developing player, the organization has not lost any faith in Williams, as the expectations remain very high he will develop into a game-changer in Ben Johnson's offense.
"These guys go through ups and downs," said Holmes. "Sometimes I think it’s a little more magnified by let’s call a wide receiver with that kind of talent, if he drops a ball then everybody sees it. There’s other players that have similar struggles, some mistakes here and there, that aren’t as magnified. It might be an offensive guard that missed an assignment and that’s not magnified out of all the mesh that’s going on in an inside run drill. He’s just another player that’s still developing, but we’ve still got a lot of hope for him.”
After practice, Williams has been spending extra time catching passes from receivers coach Antwaan Randle El, who is working with the young wideout to improve all aspects of his game.
With a heavy amount of reps expected in the three preseason games, Williams will have the next opportunity to take a step forward in his development.
