Detroit Lions head coach Dan Campbell has not been shy to call out his receivers who are competing for depth spots on the initial 53-man roster, making it quite clear he's looking for guys to step up and seize the final spots on the depth chart. One player who has done just that is undrafted free agent, Isaiah Williams.
Williams is the team's leading receiver over two preseason games and has easily been the biggest standout among the team's depth options. After finishing tops in receiving yards with 35 in preseason Week 1, he followed that up with an even better showing in preseason Week 2, posting a team-high 71. He also flashed versatility with an 11-yard run.
Williams has shown he can rip off big plays in the passing game, and has even made significant contributions in the return game, with his breaking off a pair of 28-yard kickoff returns in the preseason opener, and then a 20-yard punt return in the preseason Week 2 game that helped set up a game-winning field goal.
The Illinois product has literally done everything he possibly can to make the initial 53-man roster, yet it still might not be enough.
Isaiah Williams @ Chiefs. All touches.
— Zareh Kantzabedian (@ZKantzFF) August 18, 2024
2023 Preseason, Week 2. pic.twitter.com/ce7qLRWzTw
That's because Williams has done his damage in the receiving game out of the slot, where the Lions already have a pair of players who can assume that role in Amon-Ra St. Brown and Kalif Raymond.
That means Williams isn't a lock to make the roster, even with his outstanding showing this preseason, head coach Dan Campbell revealed on Saturday.
“We always put stock in the guys who are making plays, you know? And he does. He is making plays,” Campbell said, per Pride of Detroit. “Now, that’s in the slot, which is where he excels. That’s where his game is suited for and he’s making the most of it. That’s what’s hard a little bit is, man, he is a football player, he is making plays, but we’ve got Saint, we’ve got Leaf, and so where does that fit?”
After what he's been on tape in the preseason, it's almost impossible to imagine Williams making it through waivers if he's cut, so keeping him on the practice squad doesn't figure to be an option.
The next step for the Lions should be to give Williams work on the outside, both in practice and in the final preseason game. If he can at least prove to be serviceable from there, also, that will lock the rookie in.
But even if he doesn't play well on the boundary, Williams has still done enough to make the 53-man roster. If it isn't with the Lions, he should get an opportunity elsewhere.
