Lions training camp observations: Jameson Williams shows out on Day 1
Every year, coaches make it a point to say that it’s not worth paying attention to who’s getting snaps with which unit. Training camp is essentially one long tryout, and mixing and matching pieces on the chessboard is a critical part of the evaluation process.
However, sometimes it is worth it, such as Wednesday, when rookie offensive lineman Blake Miller did not split any time at first-team right tackle with Larry Borom, Miller’s primary challenger for a starting job. Borom might get his chance with the first team in the coming days and weeks, but the rookie’s placement on Day 1 is certainly a positive sign.
Sticking with cornerbacks for just a second, I thought Rakestraw had a really good day despite giving up a few catches to Williams. He and Ya-Sin split first-team reps across from Reed for most of the day. When Rakestraw did give up a catch on the first team, he never trailed by more than half a step. On one early rep, Goff lofted the ball up to Amon-Ra St. Brown, who was running a fade route up the sideline. St. Brown made the catch, but it appeared as though Rakestraw was able to prevent him from getting two feet in bounds. Rakestraw is going to benefit greatly from playing against the trio of St. Brown, Williams and Isaac TeSlaa this training camp.
On the field, the Lions were primarily running out Clark and Avonte Maddox as the first-team safeties. Once Christian Izien returns from having the flu — Campbell said he hopes to get him out there Friday
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We’ll start with the first of two big winners on Day 1: wide receiver Jameson Williams. The man they call “Waymo” was driving defenders crazy, making spectacular catches with defensive backs draped all over him. In a 7-on-7 period, Williams fought off tough coverage from Ennis Rakestraw Jr. to haul in a pass. The coverage was so good that it looked as if Rakestraw had initially believed he made the play; he didn’t.
Wide receiver Jameson Williams goes through a drill during training camp. Daniel Mears, The Detroit News
Williams had two more great catches during 11-on-11 drills. With cornerback D.J. Reed sticking to him like glue, Williams was able to snag a ball while going to the sideline and hold onto it while going to the ground. For his final act of the day, Williams ran a skinny post down the middle of the field and hauled in a pass in double coverage against Rakestraw and safety Chuck Clark.
Just how much more can the Lions get Williams the ball next season? With so many mouths to feed, it might be hard to envision that he’ll vastly outperform the 1,117-yard campaign he had a year ago — especially if tight end Sam LaPorta becomes even more involved in the passing game with Drew Petzing as his offensive coordinator. But if Williams continues to show that quarterback Jared Goff should trust him to make tough, contested catches, it should help him cut down on the number of games in which he’s involved very little, making him a more complete and consistent player in 2026.
