Through the first two weeks of the 2026 NFL season, Detroit Lions wide receiver Jameson Williams has gotten off to a slow start. He has caught six passes for 78 yards with no touchdowns, an average of 13.0 yards per catch, on 13 targets. He has also had a few drops.
Williams is going to need a larger role in the Lions offense this season if Detroit is going to win a ton of games. This offense cannot be dependent on Amon-Ra St. Brown week in and week out, even with him being a top-five wide receiver in the NFL. So is the slow start for Williams a cause for concern, or will he be just fine?
ESPN Calls the Jameson Williams Slow Start a Mirage
ESPN staff writers picked one surprise for each NFL team through the first two weeks of the season. For the Lions, the surprise was Williams’ rocky start. Eric Woodyard of ESPN wrote this about it:
The verdict: Mirage. Coming off back-to-back 1,000-yard seasons, there were high expectations for Williams entering 2026 as WR2. However, Williams has just six receptions for 78 yards under first-year offensive coordinator Drew Petzing. Williams has been targeted 13 times and hasn’t been able to make much of an impact through the first two weeks. But quarterback Jared Goff maintains faith in Williams, as the wide receiver should certainly get back on track. “I’m not worried about him in the slightest, and I got to be a little bit better for him too,” Goff said after Detroit’s Week 1 win.
At some point, Williams is going to put up a game close to or over 100 yards receiving. He has to become a reliable No. 2 receiver for the Lions this season, and he has done it for them before: back-to-back 1,000-yard seasons, with 1,001 yards in 2024 and 1,117 in 2025.
Jameson Williams Gets His Chance Against the Jets
Detroit hosts the New York Jets at 1 p.m. ET Sunday at Ford Field, and the Jets know St. Brown is probably going to be getting the football. The Lions need to get Williams confident early. Detroit is a better football team offensively when all of its weapons are in sync with each other. If Williams has another bad game in Week 3, this story of him struggling will keep following him and the team.
