Lions OC Ben Johnson says team will ‘have plays in for’ Jameson Williams if he’s active for Week 5

The Detroit Lions are already off to a strong start to the season, and they might soon be getting some reinforcements. Wide receiver Jameson Williams was reinstated earlier this week from his suspension for violating the league’s gambling policy. 

We don’t yet know whether or not Williams will be active for the team’s Week 5 game against the Carolina Panthers. He dealt with injuries during training camp and was mandated by league rules to be away from the team for the entirety of his suspension, so he could still be behind on both his conditioning and his role in the offense. 

But if he’s active, Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson says that the team will have specific things in mind for him to do. 

“Yeah, I would say this — not just about Jamo but about all of our guys — whoever we have up on game day, we have a place for. They have a role,” Johnson said, per Pro Football Talk. “Some guys more than others, but every week, everyone — we’re intentional about getting everyone involved in doing things that they’re capable of doing. Whether the play gets called, or whether the coverage dictates the ball going to them, that’s a different story. But here’s what I’ll say about Jamo, if he’s active this week, then he will have plays in for him this week. It’s like that with all of our skill guys.”

As a rookie last season, Williams appeared in only six games, playing just 78 snaps and catching one pass for 41 yards and a touchdown on his nine targets. The last time we saw him fully healthy, he was an outright star for Alabama, catching 79 passes for 1,572 yards and 15 touchdowns in 2021. He tore his ACL in the final game of the season, though, and it’s been a long road back — even after he was selected with the No. 12 overall pick in the 2022 draft.

The Lions could definitely use a player with his skill set, given how much of their pass offense is focused on players who win underneath and over the middle. Amon-Ra St. Brown is primarily a slot receiver, Sam LaPorta is a tight end, and Jahmyr Gibbs is a running back. A player like Williams playing across from Josh Reynolds on the perimeter could help by opening things up for everyone else, as well as by creating big plays down the field himself. Considering how good the offense already is, the potential of Williams making it even better should scare opposing defenses.