Jameson Williams ‘ breakout season may be coming to a brief pause. According to ESPN’s Eric Woodyard (and via ESPN’s Adam Schefter ), the Lions wide receiver is facing a two-game suspension for violating the NFL’s PED policy.
Williams spoke to Woodyard
, stating that he’s disappointed with the development and has “no choice but to take it on the chin.”
“I’m in good spirits,” Williams told Woodyard. “[I’m] just ready to get back with the my brothers ASAP soon as possible.”
This is a tough blow for both Williams and the Lions, as the former first-round pick was putting together the strongest season of his career. In six games (four starts), Williams has already established career-highs in receiving yards (361) and touchdowns (three). His 60.2 yards-per-game mark was more than double his 2023 average, and it barely trailed Amon-Ra St. Brown ‘s team-leading 66.8 yards per game.
The 12th-overall pick in the 2022 draft, Williams didn’t make his debut until that December while recovering from a torn ACL suffered in college. After finishing his rookie campaign with a single catch (a 41-yard touchdown, no less), Williams got a full offseason ahead of the 2023 campaign. However, the start of his sophomore season was still delayed thanks to a suspension for violating the NFL’s gambling policy. When he returned, he was firmly behind St. Brown and Josh Reynolds on the depth chart.
With Reynolds no longer around in 2024, Williams has stepped up as the team’s WR2. In an offense loaded with talent, Williams has still managed to garner the second-most targets (30) on the squad. Fortunately for the Lions, they should be more than capable of overcoming Williams’ impending suspension. Tim Patrick and/or Kalif Raymond could step up at WR, and tight end Sam LaPorta could see an uptick in targets following a disappointing start to his sophomore campaign.