Lions rookie wide receiver Jameson Williams likely won’t be able to participate in the start of training camp in late July after sustaining a knee injury during Alabama’s national championship win in January.
“I don’t see him being ready for training camp," Lions coach Dan Campbell said Thursday. "I don’t see that. I’m very hopeful, but I don’t see it. We’re gonna do this thing the right way, and when he’s ready he’ll be ready. But, no, I don’t feel like you’re gonna see him out there (on) day one.”
There was some optimism Williams would be ready for training camp once the Lions traded up to select him at No. 12 in the first round of the 2022 NFL Draft. But Campbell’s statement likely means Williams will start his career on the Physically Unable to Perform list.
The 6-foot-2, 189-pound wideout exploded during his third season at Alabama with 79 receptions for 1,572 yards and 15 TDs. Even with the knee injury, The Athletic’s Dane Brugler placed Williams as his No. 13 overall prospect entering this year's draft.
(Photo: Gary Vasquez / USA Today)
How would missing training camp set the rookie back?
Chris Burke, Lions beat writer: The Lions have been prepared for this all along, but, obviously, it makes the college-to-pro transition a little trickier in year one. Williams' skill set might help him flatten out the learning curve a bit — the play calls don't need to be all that intricate or creative to get Williams open downfield, given his speed. The bigger hurdle is that Williams is losing time to develop a rapport with Jared Goff. If Goff showed anything in 2021, it's that he will feed the receivers that he trusts. He'll get there with Williams, but maybe not right out of the gate.
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What does this news indicate about his injury recovery timeline?
Burke: Nothing new. The Lions will continue to hold out hope that Williams can accelerate the timeline, as they'd be able to pull him off the PUP list at any time during camp and toss him into practices. From the moment GM Brad Holmes drafted Williams, though, he's been cautioning that there would not be any rush here. A mid- to late-October return by Williams would be right on track with the expected recovery.
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