Jameson Williams’ slow opening has become one of the early talking points around the Detroit Lions, and ESPN has now put it in plain language: he’s “off to a rocky start.”
That label comes as the Lions sit at 1-1, with expectations hanging over both the team and its key players. Detroit has never reached the Super Bowl, and with an offense that can light up the scoreboard, the pressure to put everything together is obvious. But through two games, one piece of that puzzle hasn’t looked right.
In ESPN’s look at the biggest surprises for every NFL team heading into Week 3, Eric Woodyard pointed to Williams as the Lions’ answer. The wideout, coming off back-to-back 1,000-yard seasons, entered 2026 as WR2 with plenty expected of him. Instead, Woodyard noted that Williams has only six receptions for 78 yards under first-year offensive coordinator Drew Petzing.
The usage has been there, but the production hasn’t. Woodyard said Williams has been targeted 13 times and “hasn't been able to make much of an impact through the first two weeks.”
Even so, there doesn’t appear to be any panic inside the building. Jared Goff said he’s “not worried about him in the slightest, and I got to be a little bit better for him, too,” according to Woodyard.
Woodyard also described the issue as a “mirage,” suggesting the rough start is more noise than real concern.
For now, Williams is taking the heat, but there’s still a lot of season left for him to turn it around.
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Lions Tease A Fan Favorite Look For Jets Matchup
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There is some extra intrigue around the game because Jets coach Aaron Glenn was the first coaching hire made by Dan Campbell in Detroit, a move that tied the two coaches together well before Sundays meeting. Glenn has spoken about appreciating the chance Campbell gave him and about their early discussions on changing the teams culture, so the uniform tease adds a little more buzz to a reunion that already carries some history. [Read more 🡒]