Winning the trust of the Lions' offensive coaches isn't easy. Ben Johnson runs a complex system full of layered plays. The details are critical. Timing is paramount. A misstep here could be an incompletion, a pause there could be a pick. It was clear last season that Jameson Williams hadn't fully gained the coaches' faith.
Now? Johnson said Thursday that his confidence in Williams is “as high as it’s ever been and continuing to climb."
"The more reps, the more time we get together on the field, the better I feel about him," Johnson said. "He’s grown in so many ways, on and off the field. As a player, as a route runner, as a receiver, and then off the field just his preparation, how he’s taking care of his body, his demeanor and interactions with his teammates. He’s come a very long way, so he’s just going to continue to grow."
Williams enters his third NFL season trying to prove he can be a consistent weapon for a team with Super Bowl aspirations. That means being a true No. 2 receiver behind Amon-Ra St. Brown, which should be well within the reach of a player drafted No. 12 overall. That means getting open across the field and connecting seamlessly with his quarterback, something he and Jared Goff did -- for the most part -- in training camp. It means logging 50-plus snaps per game, which Williams did in just two of his 15 games last season including the playoffs.
It means, ultimately, being dependable, and "the most encouraging thing we’ve seen is, since he’s been out on the field, he rarely makes the same mistake twice," said Johnson.
"It feels good," said Williams, "being a ballplayer, hearing that from the guy who calls the plays. He has his trust in me, so he can call on me whenever he feels like it. He knows I'm ready for it."
Williams made several explosive plays in camp. Maybe more importantly, he caught passes over the middle, through traffic and in the air. He got open in more ways than one. A familiar case of the drops plagued him later in camp and Williams and Goff still had more miscommunications than they'd like -- a pass flying one way, Williams looking the other -- reminders that the 23-year-old has barely played a full season's worth of games in the NFL. But he does look ready to break through.
"Internally he’s done a tremendous job getting himself ready to go and becoming a guy that’s reliable for us and a guy that we can put the ball in his hands and big things happen," Goff said Wednesday. "Our rapport has grown so much this offseason, just being able to know that I have him Week 1. Coming into April, it was like, we’re full-steam ahead. He’s worked really hard, he’s super communicative with me and collaborative. We talk every day about what he likes, what I like, how we want to throw and run certain things. We’re very much on the same page."
Williams' speed will always be his best asset. He has "that rare ability in this league," said Johnson, "to take the top off the coverage," as he did on his very first catch in team drills in camp. Johnson smiled and said, "Hopefully teams are sleeping on it a bit here early in the season."
"I think Jared is a lot more comfortable in knowing where he’s going to be and how he needs to throw those balls down the field to take advantage of that," Johnson said.
Last weekend, when Williams was home in St. Louis having his jersey retired by his high school football team, he told ESPN that his goals this season are to lead the NFL in receiving yards and touchdowns. He steered around that on Thursday -- "I said something the other day, it kind of blew up" -- and said "the main goal is winning."
But don't mistake him for bashful, or backing off of those goals. Asked what gives him the confidence he can take that step, Williams said, "I'm me, you know? Everybody's seen me play football before. That'd be the main thing."
A breakout season for Williams could take the Lions offense from dangerous to almost impossible to stop. There will be too many problems for defenses to solve. By stretching the field, Williams creates more space underneath for playmakers like St. Brown, Sam LaPorta, Jahmyr Gibbs and so on, to say nothing of Detroit's dominant ground game. Load the box at your own risk.
St. Brown said he's expecting Williams to have "a much better year than last year," with injuries and last season's suspension behind him. Finally, he has a full-fledged role in the offense.
"This year I feel like everything has been going right for him. Been able to be here for OTAs, training camp. No hiccups, nothing. I feel like we’re all on this team expecting a big year for Jamo, and I think he understands it and feels it," said St. Brown. "And he’s definitely lived up to all the expectations in training camp so far. I can’t -- we can't -- wait to unleash Jamo, because we don’t feel like he was truly unleashed last year."
And what should opponents expect?
"Just expect a ballplayer," said Williams. "I do my thing when I'm on the field, and I try to do it to the best of my ability to help the team win and take us over the top."