Detroit Lions defensive back CJ Gardner-Johnson is not waiting to crown teammate Jameson Williams among the league’s top receivers. He’s confident the rest of the football world will soon catch up.
The No. 12 overall pick in the 2022 NFL Draft, Williams missed the first 12 games of his rookie season as he recovered from an ACL injury suffered in the national championship at Alabama. He returned for the final six games of the season and hauled in a 40-yard touchdown in Week 16, his only catch of his nine targets.
But with the ACL injury behind him, Jameson Williams is expected to take on a much larger role in the Lions offense this season.
“I’m ready for him to play,” Gardner-Johnson said at training camp. “He is one of the best receivers in the game right now. You’ve got to give him his flowers. If you don’t, you’ll see. …Working out with him every day, Jamo’s ready. Don’t worry about him. He ready.”
Unfortunately, fans will have to wait a little bit longer to see what the receiver can do. Williams is set to serve a six-game suspension to start the regular season for violating the NFL’s gambling policy.
If his college production is any indication, however, he is a star in the making. During his lone season at Alabama after transferring from Ohio State, Williams recorded 79 catches for 1,572 yards and 15 touchdowns. He proved one of the best deep threats in all of college football, ranking sixth in the country with 19.9 yards per catch.
Williams will team up with Amon-Ra St. Brown and Marvin Jones to form what should be a dangerous trio of weapons for Jared Goff. Set to enter his third NFL season, St. Brown led the Lions this past season with 106 catches for 1,161 yards and six touchdowns.
Detroit is coming off of a 9-8 finish and narrowly missed the playoffs, but has hopes of breaking through in 2023 for their first postseason appearance since 2016. A talented core of young players such as Williams, St. Brown, defensive end Aidan Hutchinson and rookie running back Jahmyr Gibbs bolster the belief they can do so.
The Lions ranked sixth in the NFL in passing offense this past season and have a chance to be one of the top aerial attacks in the league once Williams is added in the mix. The receiver is set to make his season debut on Oct. 22 in Week 7 against the Ravens.
