Williams appeared in six games for Detroit during his rookie campaign, catching one pass on nine targets for a 41-yard touchdown.
Campbell added that during the few on-field sessions thus far, Williams has already improved his route running.
“I think some of the biggest growth is just in his routes,” the coach said. “I feel like there’s a little better route detail right now that I’ve seen over the last few weeks. That was kind of a point of emphasis. … When you can use your speed not just to take the top off but to put fear in the defense and then put your foot in the ground and the quarterback puts it on a rope, that’s hard to cover.”
The second-year pro was suspended for the first six games of the 2023 season for violating the NFL’s gambling policy.
Williams spoke to reporters on Thursday for the first time since the ban.
“I’m not a gambler. I’m a football player,” he said, per MLive.com.
Williams said the suspension “hit me out of the blue.”
“Just make the right decisions, it was something I wasn’t aware of, and it caught me,” he added, per ESPN.com.
The receiver added that he has no plans to appeal the suspension.
“I just left it alone,” he said. “They gave me six games and we left it at that. I’m just looking forward to coming back Week 7, getting back with my team out there, playing a game.”
The goal is for Williams to get enough reps this spring and summer to buoy the young wideout, who played just 74 offensive snaps as a rookie.
“When he’s gone, he’s gone, and then when he comes back, hopefully we built enough of a base and a core under him that he can step right back in and go,” Campbell said.
The Lions need Williams’ speed in the receiver corps, but in his absence for the first six weeks, will lean on Marvin Jones and Josh Reynolds to fill the shoes opposite Amon-Ra St. Brown.