The Detroit Lions have remade themselves into legitimate Super Bowl contenders over the last couple of years after being mostly bad or mediocre for the previous two decades. Lots of credit should go to head coach Dan Campbell, and he has created a winning culture that has helped their young players thrive.
One such young player is wide receiver Jameson Williams. He played in just six games as a rookie due to a torn ACL and had just one catch that year, but last season, he started to emerge as a difference-maker.
Williams could be poised to take another jump this season. During the broadcast of the Lions’ preseason game on Saturday versus the Houston Texans, he talked about the one area of his game he has improved the most.
“I think mentally,” Williams said on Saturday’s broadcast.
“You gotta go through the mental part sometimes and put both (physical and mental) together,” he added.
“So I’ve been working on my mental a lot, staying calm and going next play mentality or not,” he continued.
“So my main thing has been mental, next play mentality.”
Read more: Lions’ David Montgomery Reveals Major Key for Detroit’s Offense
With Ben Johnson departing to become the new head coach of the Chicago Bears, Detroit has a new offensive coordinator in John Morton. He was the team’s senior offensive assistant in 2022 before spending the last two seasons as the Denver Broncos’ passing game coordinator.
Jameson didn’t play much in his first two seasons of college football at Ohio State University, but he transferred to the University of Alabama the following year and put up 1,572 yards and 15 touchdowns on 79 receptions.
The Lions saw enough potential in him to send a first-round, second-round and third-round pick to the Minnesota Vikings for the No. 12 pick in the 2022 draft, which they used to take him.
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In 2024, Jameson caught 58 passes and registered 1,001 receiving yards and seven receiving touchdowns. He was second on the team in receiving yards behind only Amon-Ra St. Brown, and his 17.3 yards per reception was second in the NFL.
His speed (he once claimed he could run the 40-yard dash in 4.1 seconds) makes him a very difficult cover for opposing defensive backs.
After years of perpetual frustration, fans in Michigan are now expecting the Lions to win the Super Bowl championship, something the team has never done before. Williams is hoping to bring home the Vince Lombardi Trophy to the Motor City this winter.
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