Monday open thread: What are realistic expectations for Jameson Williams this season?

The Detroit Lions have been building plenty of hype over the past month. Who’s ready for some more?

The Lions may have lost on Thanksgiving to the Buffalo Bills, but going toe-to-toe with a Super Bowl favorite was a positive outcome. Unfortunately, the offense couldn’t quite keep pace with the high-octane Buffalo Bills offense. With that being said, there may be some relief on the way.

Jameson Williams, the electric first-round wide receiver, officially returned to practice last week after starting the season on the Non-Football Injury list. Technically, it wasn’t a full-speed practice due to the short Thanksgiving turnaround, but it nonetheless sets the stage for Detroit to add a prized piece to their offensive arsenal. While Amon-Ra St. Brown continues to establish himself as an elite receiver in the league, the supporting cast has had its share of woes. DJ Chark and Josh Reynolds have both been slowed with injuries, either limited or inactive. It has forced Kalif Raymond and Tom Kennedy into greater roles, and while they’ve been productive, they aren’t the game-changers the offense needs.

Not only are Chark and Reynolds getting back up to speed, but the Lions will soon add Williams to the mix. That’s an exciting proposition.

With six games left in the season, what should we expect from Williams?

Today’s Question of the Day is:

What are your expectations for Jameson Williams?

My answer: I think Williams will have a modest role to close out the season.

While I’d love to see Williams rattle off six-straight 100-yard games, I think he’ll step into a tertiary role as the season winds down. I fully expect St. Brown to hold onto his title of WR1—unsurprising, given his stellar production and rapport with quarterback Jared Goff. St. Brown plays in the slot approximately 50 percent of the time, so he wouldn’t cede most of his snaps anyway.

While I think Williams can be a stellar pairing with St. Brown, I think that role will come next year. For the rest of 2022, he will start out behind Chark and Reynolds, both of whom have been productive when healthy. There’s always the chance another injury occurs, but the Lions have familiarity with Chark and Reynolds. Williams, meanwhile, has yet to experience a true NFL practice, let alone a regular season game. There’s no guarantee Williams is even active when he returns.

If Williams can muster 200 receiving yards and a touchdown or two down the stretch, I’ll consider that a good start. He will likely take Raymond’s role as an outside speed threat, though Raymond has earned a spot on offense regardless. Williams has big play potential, so I wouldn’t be surprised if his speed is utilized on a few deep shots. On one hand, I think 200 yards is a decent goal for a player with as little practice as he has. On the other, he has the home run ability to immediately hit the ground running in the NFL and demolish that total.

Either way, the Lions and their fans should be excited about Williams finally suiting up. Will it be enough for a miraculous playoff push?

Your turn.