The Detroit Lions wanted to “douse” wide receiver Jameson Williams with preseason snaps, but a hamstring injury sustained at practice on Wednesday by the former Alabama All-American has ruined that plan.

“There’s a good chance that it probably would go through the preseason,” Detroit coach Dan Campbell said on Thursday when asked how long he expected Williams to be out, although he didn’t completely rule out the wide receiver for the Lions’ preseason finale against the Carolina Panthers on Aug. 25, calling Williams’ chances of playing as “probably unlikely, but we’ll see.”

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Detroit hoped to give Williams a heavy workload in the preseason because he will miss the first six games of the regular season while serving an NFL suspension. He played 51 offensive snaps in the Lions’ 21-16 victory over the New York Giants in their preseason opener on Friday.

“As long as he stays on top of the mental portion of it, you know, you can get a lot out of the mental work,” Campbell said, “so he grinds on that, takes care of the hamstring and we’ll take it as it comes.”

But Campbell said Williams again would be missing “the chance to get full-speed, full-tilt reps, the timing of the pass game, lining up, all of it, moving versus press, through the zones. It’s just time on task, so, yeah, there’ll be a setback with it. Listen, you take it as it comes. I’m not going to sweat it. As long as he’s willing to continue to grind on the playbook and can get it right, we’ll take it as it goes.”

RELATED: CAN JAMESON WILLIAMS GET PAST STEP 1 WITH THE LIONS?

Williams’ injury is the latest in a series of setbacks that have affected the wide receiver’s NFL career.

Williams caught 79 passes for 1,572 yards and 15 touchdowns and averaged 35.2 yards and scored two touchdowns on 10 kickoff returns during his only season for Alabama in 2021. The Associated Press and The Sporting News selected Williams as a first-team All-American.

But Williams played only 78 offensive snaps during his rookie season because he sustained a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his final college game – the CFP national-championship contest for the 2021 season.

The knee injury didn’t dissuade the Lions from trading the 32nd, 34th and 66th selections in the 2022 NFL Draft to the Minnesota Vikings to move into the 12th spot to pick Williams.

Williams wasn’t able to practice with his NFL teammates until Nov. 21. The Lions activated him on Dec. 3, and he made his NFL debut the next day, 47 weeks after his knee injury.

Williams had two touches during his rookie season. On Dec. 11, Williams started the Lions’ scoring in a 34-23 victory over the Minnesota Vikings with a 41-yard reception. On Jan. 1, Williams went 40 yards on an end-around in Detroit’s 41-10 victory over the Chicago Bears.

The outlook for Williams’ first full season with the Lions dimmed on April 21 when the NFL suspended him for the first six games of the 2023 campaign. The NFL suspended Williams for violating the league’s gambling policy.

The Lions announced Williams was suspended for betting on non-NFL games at an NFL facility. The NFL’s gambling policy prohibits anyone in the league from engaging in any form of gambling in any club or NFL facility or venue, including the practice facility.

During the Lions’ second training-camp practice on July 24, Williams “got a little something in his leg” and was sidelined until July 30.

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Mark Inabinett is a sports reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter at @AMarkG1.