Detroit Lions observations: Jameson Williams their 'most improved player,' has mixed day

The tease better be worth it, but we’ll have to wait a few months to find out.

Speaking to reporters before the Detroit Lions’ third organized team activity practice of the offseason on Thursday, Dan Campbell dropped a tantalizing nugget about third-year wide receiver Jameson Williams.

“So, we started this thing back in April and you got Phase 1 for a couple weeks and then we’ve been on the grass for three weeks in Phase 2, which has been routes on air and fundamentals and individual and doing all this,” Campbell said. “And then we’re two practices in, and if you said give me one player that is the most improved from start to finish in that time, Jamo would be that guy right there. He is a — he is a man on a mission and it’s — and I’m just going to leave it at that. All right? I’m going to leave it at that.”

Campbell sounded like a scientist who had stumbled upon a major medical discovery but was waiting for more proof concept to share his work.

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Asked later about specific areas Williams has improved since last year, Campbell said, “Everywhere,” and again, left it at that.

A first-round pick in 2022, Williams been an enigma through his first two NFL seasons.

He was blessed with gobs football talent and blazing speed, but he has 25 catches in 18 games in a career that has so far been defined by inconsistency, injury and the gambling-related suspension he served last year.

The Lions are banking on Williams being their No. 2 receiver this fall, the deep threat complement to Amon-Ra St. Brown that makes their offense complete, and Williams sounded Thursday like he’s ready for that role.

He said he’s stronger after dedicating himself more to the weight room this offseason, and a whole lot more mature.

“Coming into the league I still had some little childish ways, wanted to do what I wanted to do and how I wanted to do it,” Williams said. “But sometimes you just got to listen and just get on the right track and follow the right path, you’ll be down the right way in just a sec.”

Whether Williams can make it fully down that path this year remains to be seen, and truth be told, what he showed Thursday was a mixed bag.

Williams seemed to run crisp routes and looked as explosive as ever down field, but he dropped the first pass thrown his way in team drills, a bomb from Jared Goff that hit him in the hands, he slipped on an in-cut on the second ball Goff fired his direction, used his chest to catch the third and final pass thrown his way as he ran a route wide open over the middle, and struggled to get a clean release off a jam from Carlton Davis in seven-on-seven drills.

Williams chalked the drop up as “just a drop. (Move onto the) next play.” And teammate Kalif Raymond said Williams’ biggest improvements have come in areas no one would recognize outside the team.

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Raymond said Williams’ energy is contagious and his approach to the game more professional, that teammates can see his desire to be great — and to elevate the Lions to greatness — in the huddle and in the work he’s putting in off the field.

That could be what Campbell was referencing, too.

The Lions don’t need 100 catches or 1,500 yards receiving from Williams this fall, though they wouldn’t turn it down if that’s what he delivered. St. Brown is the team’s No. 1 receiver and Jahmyr Gibbs and Sam LaPorta, neither of whom took part in Thursday’s practice, are the team’s No. 2 and 3 offensive options.

But the Lions need Williams on the field for the explosive element he adds to the passing game. He’s a stick of dynamite with the ball in his hands and a player defenses have to respect wherever he goes on the field.

That opens things up for St. Brown and Gibbs and LaPorta, and it could eventually help Williams reach his lofty goals, too.

Williams said Thursday his only goal this season is “to win,” but he acknowledged he has bigger-picture motivations, too.

“The sky is not the limit,” he said. “I want to go way above the sky. I want to be the best to ever play my position and things like that. Somebody earlier asked me what my goals were, what I think about the game and stuff like that. That’s what I want to be when I’m done playing. So things like that (what Campbell said) make me feel just a little bit better, just go a little harder. just a little confidence and a little extra just on my back, just push me a little harder.”

More observations from Thursday's practice:

n There was a long list of players not participating Thursday. Campbell said before practice some absences were injury-related, some were excused, and he joked that everyone was "doubtful to probable" for the Lions' season-opener against the Los Angeles Rams.

Among those not participating Thursday: Left tackle Taylor Decker, center Frank Ragnow, running back Jahmyr Gibbs, tight end Sam LaPorta, linebacker Alex Anzalone, defensive tackle D.J. Reader, defensive end Marcus Davenport, slot cornerback Brian Branch, safety Kerby Joseph and rookie cornerback Ennis Rakestraw Jr.

A handful of other players - cornerback Emmanuel Moseley, linebacker Derrick Barnes and first-round pick Terrion Arnold, among them - took part only in the pre-practice installation period and/or team drills.

n Goff did not have a particularly sharp day, completing just 3 of 12 passes in team drills including one spike during a situational period that mimicked an end-of-half situation. He threw incomplete on his first four attempts, with C.J. Moore dropping one would-be pick and Aidan Hutchinson batting another pass down at the line of scrimmage.

Goff's first completion came on a check down to James Mitchell, with Jack Campbell in tight coverage. He threw one ball away during situational work and Davis had another pass breakup on a throw to St. Brown.

There's no cause for concern in any of that, and Goff's deep ball that Williams dropped was right on the money. Still, on Thursday at least, the starting defense looked ahead of the starting offense when both were on the field.

n Hendon Hooker took most of the second- and third-team reps with third-team quarterback Nate Sudfeld limited in his return from a torn ACL. Hooker had a better day than Goff - he completed 10 of 17 passing, including one spike in situational work - but was a touch erratic with his ball placement.

Hooker has a live arm and looked like a good athlete, completing passes on bootleg plays in both directions Thursday. He moved quickly to his second read on a completion to Mitchell late in team period and completed a bomb to undrafted rookie Kaden Davis one play later for a would-be touchdown.

But Davis had to slow up on the play - he bounced off a defender I think was Amik Robertson to make the catch - and threw several other balls low, high or wide of his intended receiver, even if they made the catch.

No one should expect Hooker to be perfect at this stage of his development. He barely practiced as a third-round pick last year coming off a knee injury at Tennessee. But Campbell set appropriate expectations for Hooker on Thursday.

"We need to feel like by the end of camp this guy can, he can run this offense," Campbell said. "He’s somebody we know that, man, we can play the game a certain way with him. We know he’s going to be able to process the information, he’s going to get us in the right play, and he’s somebody that we can – man, he’s going to keep the ship afloat. That’s it. We don’t need him to come in and win a game. You just want to feel like, 'All right.' So obviously that’s going to, he’s going to need to take another step up."

n The Lions shuffled personnel on their offensive line with Decker, Ragnow and backup guard Kayode Awosika not practicing Thursday. Dan Skipper worked with the first-team at left tackle, Michael Niese took reps at center (to keep Graham Glasgow at guard) and Colby Sorsdal played right tackle with the second-team after playing mostly inside last year as a rookie.

On defense, Robertson played both outside cornerback and in the slot with Branch and Rakestraw sitting out and Arnold being held out of team drills, and Brandon Joseph got a long look at safety with Joseph sidelined in his return from hip surgery.

n Michael Badgley drilled two long field goals of 53 and 60 yards at the end of the Lions' situational period. That distance was good to see from Badgley, who's known more for his accuracy than his strong leg (though he did drill a 54-yarder in the playoffs last year).

Michigan's James Turner, who special teams coordinator Dave Fipp took exception to being labeled "a camp leg," missed wide left from 60 and appeared to make his kick from 53.

Badgley is clearly the frontrunner for the job, and if he added leg strength as Fipp suggested, the Lions might not need to look at Michigan Panthers kicker Jake Bates.

n Last observation for the day: Hutchinson is a menace as a pass rusher, and it doesn't matter down, distance or where he's at on the field. He had pressures on back-to-back plays from both end spots Thursday and looks like he's ready for a 14-sack season this fall.

Contact Dave Birkett at dbirkett@freepress.com. Follow him on X and Instagram at @davebirkett.

This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Detroit Lions observations: WR Jameson Williams' mixed day at OTAs