Recently-Paid Playmaker Is Lions’ Biggest Letdown at Halfway Point
With all of the change the Detroit Lions went through this offseason, sitting at 5-3 doesn’t seem all that bad. Sure, the Lions are expected to compete in the NFC and push for the first Super Bowl in franchise history, but with new offensive and defensive coordinators and their status as a target compared to an up-and-coming team, being in the middle of the race isn’t a bad thing as they enter the second half.
Still, there are some disappointments that have happened along the way. A lot of the Lions who have disappointed have mainly been due to injuries, including defensive end Marcus Davenport and cornerback Terrion Arnold. There’s even a case for offensive coordinator John Morton to be on this list based on the plethora of issues that have popped up in recent weeks.
But if we’re going with the Lions’ biggest disappointment, it has to be Jameson Williams. The star receiver was rewarded with a three-year, $80 million contract extension before the start of the season, but the production hasn’t been there, and he will need to return if the Lions get to where they want to go in the second half.
Lions Still Waiting for Jameson Williams to Live Up to His Contract
Coming into the season, many believed that Williams was on the path to stardom. After taking a “redshirt” rookie season as he recovered from a torn ACL suffered at Alabama, Williams had a modest 2023 campaign (24 catches, 354 yards, 2 TD) before posting his first career 1,000-yard season in 2024. His ability to get open downfield resulted in 11 yards per target, and many believed he could benefit by becoming a complete receiver in 2025.
While the expectations were high, Williams’s hype train has barely left the station this year. He has just 21 catches for 355 yards and three touchdowns through the first eight games, and while his yards per target is still respectable at 9.9, the volume of targets has dropped from 6.1 per game last year to 4.5 this year.
The Lions have discussed getting Williams the ball more recently, and they’ve done so with five or more targets in three of his past five games. But there are also games where Williams disappears, including a one-target performance during a Week 5 win over the Cincinnati Bengals and a two-target performance without a catch in a Week 7 win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Others will put the heat on Morton’s play calling, but he’s used Williams similarly to the way Johnson did. According to Pro Football Focus, Williams has an average depth of target of 15.0 yards this season, which is actually up from his 12.4 yard clip a year ago. Williams also has to catch the passes coming his way with his drop percentage jumping from 3.3% last season to 12.5% this season.
With those numbers in focus, a rebound may have to be a two-way street. The Lions need to find a way to get the ball into Williams’s hands, but the speedy playmaker also needs to play better and live up to the contract he signed at the beginning of the season.
Hopefully, both sides get on the same page to finish the season strong because Detroit's playoff aspirations could rely on a turnaround.
Kyle Shanahan finally admits what everyone suspected about 49ers' Brock Purdy
The San Francisco 49ers have been without quarterback Brock Purdy for much of this season. He did not suit up yet again on Sunday versus the New York Giants, and after the game, head coach Kyle Shanahan said what had long been suspected.
Addressing media after the game, Shanahan said, "We’re trying to ease Brock out there, but anytime you’re dealing with this turf toe, it’s probably something that probably won’t fully go away all year, regardless of when he comes back. … It’s a little bit of a tricky decision."
Finally, Shanahan has admitted that Purdy's turf-toe issue is going to linger for the rest of the season no matter what. This has seemed like the case with how long it has taken for Purdy to get back on the practice field and with the weekly routine of him doing some activities but not being fully ready to go.
Shanahan is right that this creates a tricky decision for the Niners. Mac Jones has been more than serviceable as a backup and has clearly looked comfortable in Shanahan's offense. He has completed 67.2 percent of his passes this season for 1,832 yards and 10 touchdown passes compared to five interceptions.
After Purdy re-injured his toe in the team's Week 4 contest against the Jacksonville Jaguars, the strategy has seemed to be to let Purdy's toe heal fully before having him start again.
But Shanahan has now admitted that the toe almost certainly will not heal fully this year, so he is going to be at greater risk of hurting himself if he goes out there to play.
The less risky option at this point is probably to stick with Jones. He is not at 100 percent health himself but has at least proven he can grit through his ailments and still play winning football. Purdy was clearly still hampered by the toe issue in Week 4, and it may have cost the Niners the game, so why risk throwing him out there when Jones has played so well?
It is not an easy choice since the Niners have so much money committed to Purdy, and when fully healthy, he would be a superior option to Jones. But if Purdy is going to be dealing with the toe issue for the rest of the year, that would seemingly take away (or at least limit) his ability to scramble, which is the one area he has a huge leg up on Jones.
As for right now, it seems like the 49ers are just going to ride the hot hand with Jones. It is the less risky option given they do not know how Purdy will play given the toe issue and do not want him to keep re-injuring himself.
