Will rookie WR Jameson Williams play for the Detroit Lions in 2022? That is a question that Lions’ head coach Dan Campbell addressed prior to Wednesday’s practice.
After the Lions traded up to select Williams with the No. 12 overall pick in the 2022 NFL Draft, he told reporters that he planned to be fully recovered and ready to roll by the start of training camp.
Well, that was then and this is now and Williams still has not suited up for the Lions.
What did Dan Campbell say about Jameson Williams playing in 2022?
Prior to Wednesday’s practice, Dan Campbell spoke to reporters and he said he’s “pretty optimistic” Jameson Williams will play at some point in 2022.
“We’re pretty optimistic he’s going to play this year,” Campbell told reporters. “We really felt like he’s turned a corner over the past month,” Campbell added. “We feel like he’s really coming on.”
That being said, Campbell made it very clear that the Lions’ injury issues, specifically to the wide receivers, will in no way play a role in when Williams will make his NFL debut.
“The injuries are not going to have a bearing on when he plays, we’re not going to let that affect us,” Campbell said. “When he’s ready, then we’ll get him up and ready to go. But we don’t want to press that just because we have a number of injuries in the receiver room.”
Predicting when Jameson Williams will make his debut
Dan Campbell saying he expects Williams to play at some point this year does not come as a huge surprise, as Tom Pelissero previously reported that Williams would likely make his debut in November.
“Probably the most likely timeline for his return is around November,” Pelissero said in early August. “I’ve also talked to people here who say he’s absolutely champing at the bit to get back in right now. He was actually standing on the field kind of tossing the ball to himself. It looked like he was holding himself back from going out there and running some routes.”
Per Tom Pelissero – NFL.com
My best guess remains that Jameson Williams makes his debut with the Detroit Lions on November 6th at Ford Field against the Green Bay Packers.
