Jameson Williams is back, and ready to hit the ground running. The Lions wide receiver was reinstated Monday after his two-game suspension for violating the NFL's policy on performance-enhancing substances and said Wednesday, "I'm good."
"It was just two weeks," he said. "I've been suspended before, I don't really look at that as like a good thing or something to brag about, but I had to miss time before. I've always been the same person. It don't change me. Never will change me."
In some ways, the Lions hope it has changed him. As Williams noted himself, the suspension was his second in two seasons in the NFL, and it coincided with a report last week that the 23-year-old wide receiver was nearly arrested in October (and could still face charges) for carrying a gun without the proper license. His first suspension was for violating the NFL's gambling policy.
Dan Campbell and the Lions have backed Williams throughout said missteps, while urging him to be more responsible off the field. Campbell said last week that he judges "people over what’s in their heart, and I know what this kid’s made of and he’s worth hanging with." That support, Williams said Wednesday, "meant a lot."
"That's my head coach, and I've been through a lot playing under him. We bumped heads in certain situations, but now I see his faith in me," Williams said. "He understands what happened and things like that. It's big to me, him having faith in me and being along with me."
Campbell said Wednesday that missing games forces self-reflection for any player, "because it hurts not to play. And when you don’t have anybody to blame but yourself, it makes you look at yourself a little bit harder." Asked what he learned during his two-week absence, Williams said, "Just move smarter and be smarter, make the right decisions at the right time. That's the main thing."
Williams said he "can't speak" on the gun incident and declined to address what substance led to his suspension: "I figure people already have their own types of views and stuff like that." He said he doesn't need to make radical changes to his lifestyle because "I'm a normal person. I do normal things."
Asked about fans who are concerned about his track record of missing games for rules infractions, Williams said, "I wouldn't even say I got a message. People view me how they view me, I'm my own person."
Despite his mistakes off the field, Williams has endeared himself to his teammates with his competitiveness on the field and his personality in the locker room. He plays hard and pulls for the people around him. He cares first and foremost about winning, which is the central to the culture the Lions have established under Campbell. His football character is high.
Williams was in the midst of a breakout season prior to his suspension, second on the team in receiving yards and second in the NFL in yards per catch. Jared Goff said this week that Williams will "step right back in and not miss a beat. I don’t see any adjustment period. He’ll be right back doing what he was doing and helping us win."
Williams wasn't allowed to practice or travel with the Lions the last two weeks, but was still in the facility working out and participating in meetings. He said he had "close people who checked in on me a lot and made sure I was OK." He watched the two games that he missed -- a 52-14 win over the Titans and a 24-14 win at Green Bay -- at his house with his cousin.
"We scored a lot of points without me," he said. "I think the offense is just moving real smooth right now."
The plan is to keep it moving when he returns, on Sunday Night Football against the Texans.
"I just want to go out there and make plays," Williams said. "That's my part of the games. If it's a run, a pass, anything, I just want to go out there and make a play, create a play for somebody else. My mindset never changes. I've always been the same person and attack the game the same way every day."
If Williams can be smarter away from the game, the sky remains his limit in Detroit.
"He’ll be fine," said Campbell, "I really believe that, and I do believe he’ll learn from (his suspension). He was just out there today in our walkthrough, and he’s locked-in and ready to go. I think he’s going to come right out of this on top.”