Jameson Williams was one of the most impressive players on the field as the Detroit Lions opened training camp under gray skies on Wednesday morning.
Williams didn’t have any drops, looked smooth, strong, confident and at times — he was simply unstoppable.
“First few plays — touchdown!” Lions wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown marveled while talking about Williams. “We all know he’s fast. ... He just looks more comfortable. He looks like he's done this before. He looks like he knows what to expect.”
Lions quarterback Jared Goff and Williams also showed a strong connection.
Goff hit Williams on some nice sideline routes in individual drills — Williams got in and out of his breaks fast, showed improved hands, stronger body control and nice footwork.
“I’m getting better every day,” Williams said.
Facing the defense, Goff hit Williams on beautiful post pattern for a touchdown — Williams simply split the defensive backs and blew the top off the defense.
“I'm just excited to be playing ball,” Williams said. “Trying to make plays — that's it.”
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Entering his third season, Williams is expected to play a more critical role this fall.
His first season was slowed because of a knee injury suffered in college, and last season was stunted because of a gambling suspension.
Now, he should be full-go for the first time in his career.
“The biggest thing I'd probably say is confidence,” running back David Montgomery said of Williams. “He was doing special things in college, but to see him here in person from the first year that I was here to now, it's a big, big improvement. And, you know, his body's changed too.”
The only thing to slow Williams down?
His stomach.
After catching a long touchdown pass, he lost his cookies — not to mention his breakfast.
But this didn’t appear to be a player who had to vomit in the middle of practice for being out of shape (which itself is hardly unusual for the first day of training camp).
No.
This looked like somebody who was working so hard, playing with so much intensity, running all around the field —excited for the first practice and a significantly new and improved role — that it got the better of him.
“Ah, I just ate the wrong thing this morning,” Williams said, walking into the facility.
Another lesson learned.
“He's not that young rookie guy anymore,” St. Brown said. “He's been here for a few years. Every year he just gets more comfortable. And I know I've been saying this every year but I think I'm he's gotten better every year, obviously. But I think this year is gonna be huge for him.”
How does the Lions' defense look early on?
The first defenders on the field during the seven-on-seven portion of practice were Derrick Barnes at left linebacker, Jack Campbell at middle and Alex Anzalone at right linebacker. Ennis Rakestraw Jr. and Terrion Arnold were at corner with Kerby Joseph and Ifeatu Melifonwu at safety. Emmanuel Moseley replaced Barnes as the slot corner for a nickel set. Rakestraw also took reps at slot corner with the second-team defense.
Joseph praised the new additions to the defensive backfield for eagerly looking to improve.
"I love their sense of urgency and their work ethic," Joseph said about the rookie corners. "Everybody wants to get better. Everybody wants to work hard, no matter what round they went in or who they are. They keep their head down and they are humble."
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A sign of improvement
Taylor Decker asked for more dry needlers.
Taylor Decker got more dry needlers. Well, the Lions’ left tackle wasn’t the only player who requested a few more folks who could perform the muscle-related restorative therapy. Nor were dry needlers Decker’s only request.
He asked for a few more athletic trainers as well. And got those too. His requests came out of an organizational effort to update and renovate the training facilities at the team’s headquarters in Allen Park.
And for Decker, the effort sent a powerful message:
“We are going to give everything we can back to you.”
The “reinvestment,” as he called it, is most notable in the team’s new athletic training room, replete with the latest equipment, technology, and much more spacious.
It is, said Decker, “incredible.”
Why does that matter?
For Decker, and surely for his teammates, finding more efficient ways to minimize injury and recover from injuries could offer a slight competitive advantage over the season.
Even, he said, if that advantage amounts only to one or two percent.
“Got to stay healthy, got to get back on the field,” he said.
In a game decided by the tiniest of margins, the Lions, and Decker, hope they just increased theirs.
Hendon Hooker's hot start
Quarterback Hendon Hooker was beaming as he came off the field, rightly excited to talk about performing well in his first NFL training camp practice. We’ve been talking about the Lions’ 2023 third-round pick for so long that it’s easy to forget he missed all of camp last year while he recovered from a torn ACL in November 2022.
He had a full offseason this year and looked sharp as the No. 2 on Wednesday, taking snaps ahead of Nate Sudfeld. Hooker tossed some nice, crisp sideline passes to St. Brown, Jalon Calhoun and Kalif Raymond and was quick and steady in the pocket.
“I really haven't played to the best of my ability that I know I can play until now,” he said. “So going through this offseason I was just really amped up to get back out here and showcase my talent.
“So really that first team (period) I was too jittery and too amped up. So once I relaxed and I got into my groove you could really see the ball coming out on time and smoother drops. I was in control of the huddle and felt great after that first team (period).”
Expect Hooker and Sudfeld to alternate as the No. 2, which should make their camp battle fun. Both made some great throws, with one of Sudfeld’s best coming on an over-the-shoulder pass to Zonovan Knight, who beat safety Loren Strickland for a big gain in a 4-minute drill.
“Competition makes the room better,” Hooker said. “So continue to push off Jared, continue to push off Nate, and then the coaching has been great. So I'm just learning and staying consistent every day.”
Grand new seating
Fans planning to attend an open practice will be pleasantly surprised when they see the upgraded covered seating they get to enjoy.
The bleachers have been replaced in the general admission section with two large grandstands that accommodate 2,500 fans and feature stadium-style chair backs. There’s also a two-story VIP tent that looks more like a small building and also has stadium seating.
The first open practice is Saturday for season-ticket holders and “Lions Loyal Members,” aka season-ticket holders. The first practice open to everyone is Monday. Tickets are required and they’re free. Unfortunately, those tickets, for all nine open practices, are already gone.
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This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Detroit Lions training camp observations: Jameson Williams star of day
