The Lions waived Williams (concussion) on Friday with an injury settlement.
Analysis: Williams was expected to serve as the Lions' No. 1 wideout coming out of the preseason, but his reign atop the depth chart lasted just three quarters into the campaign, as he's been sidelined since suffering a concussion in Detroit's Week 1 loss to San Francisco. Considering that Williams hadn't even been cleared to resume practicing since landing on injured reserve Week 3, the wideout seemingly has multiple steps to clear in the concussion protocol before he'll explore signing with another team.
Nov 5, 2021 1:14 PM EST
Lions head coach Dan Campbell suggested Tuesday that Williams (concussion) isn't on track to be activated from injured reserve ahead of the team's Week 6 game against the Bengals, Justin Rogers of The Detroit News reports. "It's off in the distance," Campbell said of Williams' potential return.
Analysis: Campbell said a day earlier that Williams would have a chance at making it back in action this week, but the coach seemingly changed his tone after the receiver underwent an evaluation Tuesday. The fact that Williams doesn't look on track to play Week 6 isn't necessarily indicative of a setback; the wideout may have simply plateaued in his recovery from the concussion he sustained in the Lions' season-opening loss to the 49ers. With Quintez Cephus (collarbone) expected to join Williams on IR in the coming days, the Lions will likely head into the matchup with Cincinnati with Kalif Raymond, Amon-Ra St. Brown and KhaDarel Hodge as their starting receivers.
Oct 12, 2021 7:59 AM EST
Lions head coach Dan Campbell said Williams (concussion) will undergo an evaluation Tuesday with the hope that he'll be cleared to return to practice this week, Justin Rogers of The Detroit News reports.
Analysis: Williams has been sidelined since Week 1 and has resided on injured reserve for the past three games, making him eligible to rejoin Detroit for practice this week. His upcoming evaluation should provide the Lions with a better sense of where he stands in his recovery from his concussion, but if Williams gets the green light to practice fully at some point Wednesday through Friday, he could be active for Sunday's game against the Bengals. An already shallow Lions wideout corps has sorely missed Williams, who entered the season as the team's No. 1 receiver.
Oct 11, 2021 12:23 PM EST
Williams (concussion) has been placed on IR by the Lions.
Analysis: With that, Williams is slated to miss Detroit's next three games, at a minimum. In his absence, Kalif Raymond, Quintez Cephus, Amon-Ra St. Brown and Trinity Benson are in line to head the team's WR corps for the time being.
Sep 23, 2021 9:23 AM EST
Coach Dan Campbell said Wednesday that Williams (concussion) isn't expected to suit up Sunday against the Ravens, Kyle Meinke of MLive.com reports.
Analysis: Williams has been sidelined since taking a helmet-to-helmet hit Week 1 that forced him into the concussion protocol. With no return to practice in sight, there's no telling when he'll get through all five phases and set himself up to get back on the field. In Williams' place, Quintez Cephus, Kalif Raymond, Amon-Ra St. Brown and Trinity Benson are poised to serve as the Lions' top four wide receivers.
Sep 22, 2021 10:29 AM EST
Williams (concussion) has been ruled out ahead of Monday's contest against the Packers, Tim Twentyman of the Lions' official site reports.
Analysis: The veteran wideout had just two receptions for 14 yards before leaving Week 1 with a concussion. Williams hasn't been able to practice all week so the designation isn't surprising, but it's telling the team hadn't even went through Saturday's practice before making the announcement. It remains to be seen whether Williams will be available for Week 3 against Baltimore.
Sep 18, 2021 8:13 AM EST
Williams (concussion) remained absent from practice Friday, Kyle Meinke of MLive.com reports.
Analysis: Williams has been unable to practice at all this week and remains in concussion protocol after taking a hit to the head in the season opener against San Francisco. The wide receiver has an extra day to heal up with Detroit's next game coming Monday against the Packers, but that doesn't seem like it will be enough time for him to get back on the field given the lack of progress in his recovery up to this point.
Sep 17, 2021 10:12 AM EST
Lions head coach Dan Campbell said Williams (concussion) won't participate in Thursday's practice, Chris Burke of The Athletic reports.
Analysis: Since entering the concussion protocol following Sunday's loss to the 49ers, Williams hasn't progressed enough from the head injury to even show up at the practice facility for meetings. With that in mind, Campbell conceded it "doesn't look great" for Williams' chances of playing Week 2 against the Packers, even with the longer turnaround for the Monday night game. Assuming Williams is inactive this week, Quintez Cephus and Trinity Benson would likely get more opportunities to share the field with starting outside receiver Kalif Raymond while rookie Amon-Ra St. Brown functions as the top option out of the slot.
Sep 16, 2021 8:18 AM EST
Williams was placed in concussion protocol after taking a hard hit in Sunday's loss to the 49ers, Eric Woodyard of ESPN reports.
Analysis: Williams will need to clear concussion protocol in order to suit up in Week 2 against the Packers, though he'll have an extra day to do so since the NFC North rivalry game is scheduled for Monday night. Kalif Raymond, Amon-Ra St. Brown and Quintez Cephus will likely work as the Lions' top three wide receivers should Williams sit.
Sep 13, 2021 11:20 AM EST
Williams (undisclosed) caught two of three targets for 14 yards during Sunday's 41-33 loss to San Francisco.
Analysis: Williams didn't do much before absorbing a helmet-to-helmit hit at the start of the third quarter that drew a personal foul from a San Francisco safety for hitting a defenseless receiver. While the extent of Williams' situation isn't clear, it would not be a surprise if he lands in the league's concussion protocol, which would put the veteran's status for Week 2 in question. While it helps that the Lions don't play until Monday night, look for Trinity Benson to see a heightened role if Williams doesn't suit up.
Sep 13, 2021 7:24 AM EST
Williams (groin) isn't listed on the Wednesday injury report for Sunday's game against the 49ers.
Analysis: Williams missed a few practices in late August but otherwise enjoyed a productive summer, seemingly establishing himself as the No. 1 wide receiver for new Lions quarterback Jared Goff. It's been five years since Williams saw even 70 targets in a season, but he's always been efficient on a per-target basis, and he now has a nice opportunity to see steady volume if he can stay healthy. Williams did suit up for all 16 games in three consecutive seasons from 2016-18, before playing through plantar fasciitis in 2019 and then missing all of 2020 with a shoulder injury.
Sep 8, 2021 1:16 PM EST
Williams (groin) could handle a large target share as Detroit's clear No. 1 wide receiver, Chris Burke of The Athletic reports.
Analysis: After the Lions parted ways with Breshad Perriman on Monday, Williams is clearly Detroit's top outside wide receiver. Each of the next three guys on the depth chart - Amon-Ra St. Brown, Kalif Raymond and Quintez Cephus - do their best work from the slot. While the Detroit passing game will likely revolve around tight end T.J. Hockenson and, when healthy, running back D'Andre Swift (groin) this season, Williams seems to have a fantastic opportunity to top the career-high 7.4 targets per game he saw with the Chargers in 2016, when the 29-year-old caught 69 passes for 1,059 yards and seven touchdowns.
Aug 30, 2021 9:16 AM EST
Williams is dealing with a groin injury, but coach Dan Campbell said the wideout will return to practice next week, Tim Twentyman of the Lions' official site reports.
Analysis: It's unclear if the injury is the reason Williams didn't play in Detroit's second preseason game after catching two passes for 30 yards in the first. He struggled with injuries in Oakland/Vegas the past two years, but reports out of camp suggests Williams is emerging as the No. 1 option for arguably the weakest WR group in the league. He might not be a good fit for that role, but it could still lead to fantasy value if the target volume is right.
Aug 25, 2021 8:47 AM EST
Williams did not suit up for Saturday's preseason loss to the Steelers, Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press reports.
Analysis: Like Jared Goff and Jamie Collins, Williams was given the night off after getting a little run in the preseason opener. We probably won't see them in next week's finale against the Colts either. Regardless, the 29-year-old has already established himself as Goff's No. 1 option at wideout even though he's probably no higher than the No. 3 option in the passing game behind tight end T.J. Hockenson and running back D'Andre Swift (groin) entering Week 1.
Aug 22, 2021 12:14 PM EST
Williams caught two of four targets for 30 yards in Friday's 16-15 preseason loss to the Bills.
Analysis: Williams could be Detroit's No. 1 wide receiver this season, and quarterback Jared Goff treated him like one -- four of Goff's nine passes in this one went in Williams' direction. The 29-year-old wideout secured catches of 20 and 10 yards, but he also failed to get any separation on an end zone target, which was knocked away by the defender. Tight end T.J. Hockenson, who sat this one out with an undisclosed injury, is likely to be Goff's top target moving forward, but Williams is making a case to be next in the pecking order, and he'll look to strengthen that case against Pittsburgh in Week 2 of preseason.
Aug 13, 2021 7:34 PM EST
Williams (groin/finger) returned to practice Monday, Kyle Meinke of MLive.com reports.
Analysis: Williams was held out of Saturday's practice due to a groin injury, but he was back in action following a brief absence. The 29-year-old had also been dealing with a dislocated pinky finger recently, but his return to practice bodes well for his status for Friday's exhibition game against the Bills.
Aug 9, 2021 7:48 PM EST
Williams did not practice Saturday due to a groin injury, Kyle Meinke of MLive.com reports.
Analysis: Williams is also evidently dealing with a dislocated pinky finger, but neither injury seems to something that should keep the veteran wide receiver out for long. Breshad Perriman (hip) and Quintez Cephus (head) were also kept out of practice Saturday, so the Lions could simply being cautious with their pass-catching corps.
Aug 7, 2021 11:42 AM EST
Williams dislocated the pinky finger on his left hand Tuesday, but he practiced Wednesday and said he felt no residual pain, Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press reports.
Analysis: It doesn't sound like Williams is dealing with anything that will impact his availability for next week's preseason opener against Buffalo, let alone Week 1 of the regular season. What's probably more concerning for the veteran's outlook is that reports of the Lions' Jared Goff-led offense haven't been very impressive through the first week of training camp.
Aug 4, 2021 3:52 PM EST
Williams (shoulder) is participating in 7-on-7 drills during OTAs, Tim Twentyman of the Lions' official site reports.
Analysis: Presumably fully recovered from the labrum tear that wiped out his 2020 campaign, Williams made a big play Thursday on a pass from Jared Goff. Should the 29-year-old stay healthy this summer, he could be one of the quarterback's top targets in 2021 after Detroit did nothing more to provide competition at on the perimeter than sign the injury-prone Breshad Perriman, who has never played a full season. Behind those two, the likes of Quintez Cephus and fourth-round rookie Amon-Ra St. Brown sit atop the depth chart entering training camp.
Jun 3, 2021 5:57 PM EST
Williams (shoulder) called himself "95 percent" during an introductory press conference Monday, Michael Rothstein of ESPN.com reports.
Analysis: Williams missed the entire 2020 season after tearing the labrum in his right shoulder in late August. He eventually underwent surgery to address the issue in September, and Tom Pelissero of NFL Network noted on Feb. 11 that Williams was 2-to-3 weeks away from full health. Based off Williams' more-recent comment, he has a bit more to do to get back to 100 percent, but it likely won't stop him from participating in the offseason program, assuming teams hold them in-person this year. Prior to the lost campaign, he worked with current Lions offensive coordinator Anthony Lynn with the Chargers in 2017 and 2018, averaging 16.4 YPC and hauling in 62.7 percent of his 134 targets across 32 games.
Mar 15, 2021 2:19 PM EST
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