'The Trust Is There': Goff Will Not Force Passes to Rookie WR

Jared Goff and Jameson Williams are still building chemistry with each other.

Jared Goff has been a big reason for the improvements made by the Detroit Lions' offense this season. 

The seventh-year quarterback has played some of the best football of his career, throwing for 3,959 yards, 26 touchdowns and seven interceptions. With two games remaining in the season, he’s led the team to the brink of a playoff berth.

With this performance, he’s been able to incorporate some of Detroit’s top weapons at the wide receiver position. Amon-Ra St. Brown has enjoyed his first 1,000-yard receiving season, while DJ Chark, Josh Reynolds and Kalif Raymond have also had solid seasons.

More: Lions Starting Safeties Not Spotted at Practice

Another wideout has just recently joined the fold, in the form of rookie Jameson Williams. Yet, the speedster has had just one catch across his first four career games -- a 41-yard touchdown.

As Williams works to get involved, after missing the first 11 games with a knee injury suffered in his final college game, Goff is working to get the rookie involved in a way that isn’t forced.

“Yeah, if it fits,” Goff said. “Certainly, he’s a great player and a guy that can change our offense if we can get him the ball. It’s definitely helpful for us, but it’s by no means something we want to force. And, we’d love to get him the ball, just like we’d love to get DJ Chark the ball and Josh Reynolds and St. Brown and everyone the same way. But, yeah, I think as his progression as a player grows, it will grow in our offense, and he’s coming right along.”

© Kirthmon F. Dozier / USA TODAY NETWORK

Across the first four games of Williams’ career, he’s received five targets, including the scoring grab. It isn’t easy for a young player to get acclimated in the NFL, and Williams missed out on valuable reps in the offseason while rehabbing his torn ACL.

“You’d love to have OTA’s and training camp and all offseason, that’s typically what it is,” Goff explained. “So, yeah, we’re building it, and the trust is there. I don’t think the trust is what I need to build. It’s just timing and everything else, you know. He’s only been out there for four weeks now, but yeah, he’s coming right along. He’s coming along very nicely, and like I said, as he grows as a player and his progression grows, so will his role in the offense. I think, eventually, he will be that premier guy, and the sky’s the limit for him. But, when that happens, I don’t know.”

Growing confidence

Goff struggled to connect on deep passes in 2021, connecting on just 28 percent of passes thrown over 20 yards, per Pro Football Focus. However, he’s improved that number this season to 40 percent, including completing half of his passes thrown 20-plus yards over the middle.

His receiving corps has improved, but so has his ability to hit the deep throws. Five of his touchdowns have come on throws over 20 yards in the air, including two in Week 14 against the Minnesota Vikings. He’s thrown two interceptions at that distance, too. 

“I think I go back to when we initially got healthy, however many games that was ago,” Goff said. “DJ’s back and Josh is back and Jameson comes into the fold, and it’s like we’ve got guys that really stretch the field now. That’s number one, having guys that can really do that and guys that I feel comfortable with. It fits in our offense and then just time on task. Just getting reps with those guys and feeling good about it. DJ, you’ve seen over the last few weeks catching a few balls, and him and I have a good thing going. Kalif (Raymond), we hit on one, and Jameson had one a few weeks ago. As we continue to grow, hopefully we continue to hit deep balls and continue to get over top of defenses. And, it will really change everything we can do.”

Chark has stood out in particular during recent weeks, as he’s gone over 90 receiving yards in three of his last five games since returning from injured reserve.

Lions ‘built for adversity’

The Lions’ playoff aspirations took a hit Saturday in their 37-23 loss to the Carolina Panthers. A win against Carolina would’ve put Detroit in the NFC’s final playoff seed with two games remaining.

Though the disappointment of a critical loss can be difficult, Goff and the Lions have dealt with plenty of adversity throughout the season.

After all, the Lions have been forced to win many of their recent games to stay alive in the postseason chase, after a 1-6 start to the season.

“Yeah, we’re built for it, certainly,” Goff said. “The diversity we’ve been through this year is much greater than one loss, and we know how to bounce back from things like this and I think we will.”