Photo by Nic Antaya/Getty Images Dan Campbell described the Detroit Lions’ intensive and patient development program, and how it’s finally paying off for Jameson Williams. Jameson Williams’ path to becoming a key part of the Detroit Lions has not been an easy one. When the Lions drafted him with the 12th overall pick in 2022, they knew his success wouldn’t come immediately. Recovering from an ACL tear was going to take some time, but it’s hard to imagine the Lions anticipated the other bumps in the road. His sophomore year in Detroit was derailed two-fold. First, the NFL handed down a six-game suspension (eventually reduced to four) for a violation of the league’s gambling policy, and then Williams lost over half of training camp due to an injury. When he eventually worked his way back, he was rusty, inconsistent, and his lack of chemistry with quarterback Jared Goff was painfully obvious. But the Lions always had a plan for him, and they never deviated. Much like with players like Derrick Barnes, Levi Onwuzurike, and Ifeatu Melifonwu, Detroit showed patience, knowing that every player develops at a different rate. Additionally, they set Williams up for success by devoting a ton of resources to their player development department. Of course, it all starts with the player himself, and as coach Dan Campbell described on Tuesday afternoon, Williams always had the drive and work ethic to fight through early diversity. “He’s matured and he’s worked and he’s grinded and he wants it,” Campbell said. “He wants to get the coaching, he wants to get better and so that’s a credit to him that he’s open and he’s coachable and he’s about the team. He’s about the team.” Detroit cleared that path to success with a village of aides along the way. Teddy Bridgewater’s importance to Williams’ career has been well-documented, but Campbell also made sure to point out a pair of people in Detroit’s player wellness department: directors of player engagement Jessica Gray and Sean Pugh. “there’s a number of people, talking about development. Sean and Jessica, player engagement. They’ve worked hand-in-hand with him,” Campbell said. And we cannot forget the importance of a pair of culture-setters right there in the receiver room. The impossible-to-match work ethic of Amon-Ra St. Brown and Kalif Raymond helped set a standard among wide receivers that Williams had no choice but to match—and receivers coach Antwaan Randle-El devoted extra time in every training camp practice this offseason to put Williams on the right path. Williams’ development is far from over, but the returns are certainly promising so far. Through four games, Williams leads the team in both receiving yards (289) and receiving touchdowns (2). After posting just 395 yards through the first two years of his career, he sits 11th among all receivers in yardage through the first quarter of the season. Ja’Marr Chase has 11 more yards than him. And maybe most importantly, his success has already led to teams playing the Lions differently. “The Jameson effect is kind of starting to play out already,” offensive coordinator Ben Johnson said last week. “We hit a big play in the first game and a big play to him in the second game and last week, you could tell early in that game they weren’t going to allow him to get over the top. So, we’ll see if that trend continues.” Well, Williams hit another big shot over the top in Week 4, hauling in a Jared Goff pass on a crossing route he turned upfield for a 70-yard touchdown. Waymo: Primetime Mode#SEAvsDET | #OnePride pic.twitter.com/D6S8q4PAud— Detroit Lions (@Lions) October 1, 2024 Campbell was right to give Williams credit for his own willpower to fight through the first two years of his rocky career. But I don’t think it can be understated just how important the Lions’ developmental track has been laid for all of Detroit’s young players. “We have so many resources here that I think help guys develop not only certainly as players but as men and just trying to do things the right way, being a pro and everything that goes along with it,” Campbell said. “So, it’s been good. It’s been good to be able to do that and it doesn’t work that way everywhere. Not every place is set up the way that ours is set up.”