The Lions expect big things out of 12th overall pick Jameson Williams, and won't rush his return. As general manager Brad Holmes said Thursday, "We didn’t make that move for him just for Year 1. This is a long-term investment.”
In the short term, the Lions are focused on getting Williams safely back on the field about eight months after he tore his ACL in the national championship. He's already been ruled out for the first four weeks of the season after being placed on the reserve/non-football injury list. Holmes confirmed Williams is "on track" in his rehab and suggested he could "accelerate" his own return if he continues at his current pace.
"He's so gifted from a genetic standpoint," said Holmes.
Whenever Williams does return, Dan Campbell and the coaching staff will have to fit him into the offense on the fly. File this under 'good problems to have.' The fastest receiver in the draft, Williams will immediately give the Lions' passing attack a new dimension. Of course, he's yet to catch passes from Jared Goff. He hasn't run a route since last season. He'll have to grow into his offensive role.
In the meantime, Holmes raised the possibility of the Lions deploying Williams on special teams.
"That’s probably more of a Dan question in terms of how we’ll implement him early on. I will say, just because of his skillset, he’ll have a lot of versatility for us. So if he’s not a full-time wide receiver, does he play special teams? Well, he’s got some damn good gunner tape out there in the SEC. He’s got some good return tape out there in the SEC, so we’ll have some options," Holmes said.
Indeed, Williams wasn't just an electric wide receiver at Alabama. He also won SEC Co-Special Teams Player of the Year last season when he averaged 35.2 yards on 10 kickoff returns and became the first player in Alabama history to return two kickoffs for a touchdown in the same game -- one from 100 yards and one from 83 yards against Southern Miss.
Wouldn't you know it, the Lions are searching for someone to return kicks after cutting Godwin Igwebuike, their primary kick returner last season. Assistant special teams coach Jett Modkins said earlier this summer that Williams is in "every one of our special teams meetings, locked in" and raved about the play he made as a gunner in the SEC Championship against Georgia.
“Most receivers probably wouldn’t want to run down on a punt after playing a full possession on offense," said Modkins. "But to run down, be the first one down and then blow someone’s face off, that shows who you are."
The Lions will continue to be conservative with Williams. Step one is getting his knee back to 100 percent. Step two is fitting him into the offense. They drafted him to catch passes and score touchdowns, not to make tackles on special teams. But if Williams can score touchdowns by catching kicks, the Lions might give him a shot.
"I know he’s chomping at the bit," said Holmes. "I mean, he’ll put on a helmet right now and go out there. He would jog a slant route if he could, but we have to be smart."