Calvin Johnson: 'Work Comes Right Now' for Jameson Williams

Former Lions wide receiver discusses Lions' wide receivers unit in 2024.

Calvin Johnson walks through the crowd after finish playing during AREA 313 Celebrity Scramble at Detroit Golf Club / Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK

The Detroit Lions have the potential to have one of the top wide receivers unit in the National Football League.

Speaking after the Rocket Mortgage Classic's Area 313 golf scramble, former Lions wideout Calvin Johnson shared with All Lions his thoughts on the talented unit, what Jameson Williams needs to accomplish this offseason to continue his development and what it is like to hear the Lions being in the conversation as Super Bowl contenders.

“You’ve got Amon-Ra (St. Brown), you’ve got Jamo, you’ve got (Kalif) Raymond. We’ve got (Donovan) Peoples-Jones. We’ve got guys who have made plays in this league. We’ve got guys who have played with Jared (Goff) for a while, that have been here in Detroit, that know what’s expected," Johnson said. "So that’s a good thing. We have chemistry, that’s the big thing about it. We have a receiving core that knows their roles and they play to them. As long as guys stay healthy, that’s always the thing. We have that core group. If three or four of those guys stay healthy all year, Jared’s gonna have somebody to get the ball to, and they’re gonna move the ball up and down the field.” 

Williams is expected to compete to become the No. 2 wide receiver in Ben Johnson's offense. Lions head coach Dan Campbell applauded the speedy wideout for his growth all throughout the spring.

After facing limitations in his first two NFL seasons, the young receiver appears primed for a breakout in his third NFL season.

“You’ve got to put the work in, in the offseason. You've got to build your body up to sustain a 16-to-17-week season. The work comes in the offseason, work comes right now," said Johnson. "The time he has off right now, you’ve got to put in the work. And then, you’ve got to focus on details, the little details. You’ve got to look yourself in the mirror, the things you’re good and bad at, and work at those things."

Having played with Dan Campbell, the Pro Football Hall of Famer expressed happiness seeing his former teammate lead the Lions to postseason success. In 2024, the Lions are among a handful of teams that are legitimate Super Bowl contenders.

“It’s good. I played with Dan, so I’m happy for Dan. He was a great teammate," Johnson said. "Seeing him leading the team like he is now, leading the charge, it’s pretty cool.”

Wide receivers coach Antwaan Randle El indicated the competition for spots lower on the depth chart has raised his eyebrows at times. With Josh Reynolds off to Denver, the Lions will have opportunities available for the taking in the passing game.

“The excitement comes in that the door is wide open for those spots. The excitement, it’s there because there’s some competition that’s really, truly going on for that spot," said Randle El. "So, you’ve seen some guys really make some plays that kinda raise your eyebrows like, ‘Let’s try to move them up.’ Daurice Fountain made some plays, Kaden (Davis) came in and made some plays. I was like, ‘Okay.’ So, you see guys making different plays and splashes. The biggest thing was, we know what we lost in Josh (Reynolds). He had some big-play ability, but he was consistent.

"He was a consistent guy that we could depend on. So, that’s what I need our guys to be. Not just the third, fourth, fifth guy, whoever it is. Even 'Saint' (St. Brown) and Jamo from that standpoint, we always want to be consistent in what we do and have an opportunity to make those plays. But, that third guy, whoever it’s gonna be, and again a fourth and fifth guy, those guys have gotta be consistent."

A factor the coaching staff will keep reminding the wideouts of is the importance of blocking. Randle El expressed that will remain a point of emphasis when training camp begins.

"They’ve gotta be ready to make the plays, over and over again. That’s the biggest thing, alignment, assignment, make the play when it comes your way and being able to finish," Randle El explained. "We block downfield, whether it’s the running back that has the ball, the ball is thrown, the receivers catch it, the tight ends catch it, we’ve gotta go get blocks. That’s a big emphasis for me continuing to move forward, as we get ready for training camp here in the weeks to come.”