Lions star Jameson Williams faces a ban

Jameson Williams' breakout season has reportedly been put on hold.

The Detroit Lions' star wide receiver faces a two-game suspension for violating the league's Performance-Enhancing Substances (PES) policy, ESPN's Eric Woodyard reported Monday night. It is the second suspension of Williams' NFL career.

Williams, the No. 12 pick in the 2022 NFL Draft, was suspended four games early in the 2023 season for violating the league's gambling policy.

Williams, 23, told ESPN that he had “no choice but to turn it around. I am in good spirits and ready to return to… my brothers as soon as possible.”

The latest suspension marks another bump in the road to the start of his NFL career. He missed the first 11 games of his rookie season while recovering from a torn ACL suffered in his final college game. Williams was allowed to participate in training camp during the 2023 season, but suffered a hamstring injury that ended his preseason early, and he never found a fully consistent role in the offense.

Entering 2024, Williams was a focal point of the team's offensive attack. He has 17 catches for 361 yards and three touchdowns this season, including a 70-yard touchdown in Week 4 on Monday Night Football. He ranks second in the league in yards per catch (21.2).

“He was really unbelievable,” Lions quarterback Jared Goff said last week. “He’s growing tremendously and getting better and better.”

It is currently unknown what Williams tested positive for. According to the NFL's PES policy, a two-game suspension is a penalty for testing positive for a stimulant, diuretic or masking agent.

Williams had his least productive game of the season in Sunday's 31-29 win over the Minnesota Vikings at US Bank Stadium in Minneapolis when he caught a pass for a loss of 4 yards.

The Lions have used a variety of weapons to maintain high offensive output this season, but the challenge will certainly become more difficult following Williams' suspension. In addition to his explosive playmaking ability, Williams plays a critical role on offense as a threat to get behind safeties and anchor defenses.

“The defense doesn’t want to single him out because he makes them pay,” Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson said last week. “They're not as fast as him, it's that simple. Hopefully we'll continue to get these one-on-one duels because we're so dynamic elsewhere too.”

During Williams' absence, the Lions play at home against the Tennessee Titans on Sunday before traveling to Green Bay for a crucial NFC North matchup against the Packers at Lambeau Field. They will have to rely even more on wide receivers Kalif Raymond (21 yards on Sunday's touchdown) and Tim Patrick, who signed with the team after training camp and has gradually taken over the role of Detroit's third wide receiver.

Second-year tight end Sam LaPorta, who has yet to return to the peak form of his rookie season in the 2024 season, expects to see a greater target share in the next two games as well.

Williams' suspension in 2023 was originally intended to be a six-game suspension, but was later reduced to four games.

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