Jameson Williams Dealt with 'Bad Days' Waiting to Debut
In a welcomed change of pace, Lions fans have a variety of items to be thankful for this season.
The list ranges from the standout play of rookies Aidan Hutchinson and Kerby Joseph to the team's first three-game win streak since 2017. And, the latest thing you can add to the list is wide receiver Jameson Williams, the No. 12 overall pick in the 2022 NFL Draft, being cleared to begin practicing. He was officially declared able to practice on Monday.
It's been a long road to recovery for the Alabama product, who suffered a torn ACL during the Crimson Tide's national title game loss to the Georgia Bulldogs a season ago.
“A lot of down days, a lot of bad days I had to push through,” Williams told Lions reporters Tuesday, in his first public comments since his ACL surgery. “But, I’m here now.”
During his time away from the practice field (a period of time which has spanned six-and-a-half months), Williams has remained around the Lions' practice facility in Allen Park. And, there have been several instances where he's been seen holding on to a football while hanging out on the sideline.
Although he's still been around his Detroit teammates and has made his presence known, it hasn't been the same kind of experience for the first-year pro as being on the actual field.
"I’ve missed the game a lot,” Williams said. “I’m real, real, real excited to put my cleats on, to get to put my jersey on, to be able to get out there with the guys and actually be a part of the team. You feel me? It’s something I missed a lot, and I’m just happy to get back.”
© Kirthmon F. Dozier / USA TODAY NETWORK
The Lions are equally excited to get Williams in uniform.
He hasn't actually taken part in a practice yet because of the quick turnaround the team has to its Week 12 matchup with the Buffalo Bills on Thanksgiving. Additionally, he won't be active against the Bills, and there's no exact timetable for when he'll make his NFL debut at this point. It could come against the Jacksonville Jaguars in Week 13 or the week after that, against the Minnesota Vikings.
No matter when it happens, Williams, a "speed demon" who possesses the ability to take the top off a defense, will provide Detroit's offense with an element that has been non-existent all season: the presence of a deep threat.
It's a trait that should allow the rookie wideout to stand out in the Lions' receivers room.
“My skill-set is different,” Williams expressed. “I feel like coaches have a great plan for me and how they will use me. So, when the time comes, we’ll see for sure.”
Detroit signal-caller Jared Goff views Williams as a game-changing player that can take the team's offense to the next level.
“He’s just got so much speed, man,” Goff said. “He’s got so much ability. Any way that we can use him, whenever that time is he comes back, it’ll give us a boost, someway, somehow, however many snaps that ends up being, however many balls he ends up catching. Just having him on the field and having his ability to threaten people vertically and to turn a 5-yard throw into a 60-yard gain, that type of stuff, it’s dangerous.”
