Before the Detroit Lions entered their bye week, head coach Dan Campbell gave his staff a list of priorities to address — and finding ways to get Jameson Williams more involved in the offense was one of them.

The fourth-year receiver’s production has dipped slightly compared to his first seven games last season, but not by a significant margin.

Still, considering Williams signed a three-year, $83 million extension before the season opener and offensive coordinator John Morton spoke of him as a key piece of the offense, his output has fallen short of expectations.

The consistency of his targets has become a growing topic in recent weeks.

Some games, Williams gets just a few looks; in others, he might see six or seven. Or, like the Week 7 win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, he was targeted only once.

“(There is) no middle ground, only a ceiling, man. We got to get to the ceiling,” Lions assistant head coach Scottie Montgomery said Tuesday. “It’s one of those situations where I studied where he is in progression — what happens when he’s first, second, third progression — and it’s been inconsistent, right? You know, sometimes he’s open behind the first progression, or he’s second progression, and we just don’t connect.

“Or we execute perfectly — protection, timing — and still don’t make a play downfield. So, when you combine all those things, we just need to get him more opportunities. We’re working on that and how to create those chances.”

While Williams’ numbers are down compared to last season, the decline isn’t as sharp as it looks statistically.

Through his first seven games last year — not the first seven weeks, since Detroit had a Week 6 bye and he missed Weeks 7 and 8 with a PED suspension — Williams logged 35 targets, 20 receptions, 414 yards, and three touchdowns. He averaged five targets per game and 20.7 yards per catch.

This year through seven games, he has 30 targets, catching 17 passes for 289 yards, two touchdowns, and 17 yards per reception — about 4.3 targets per game.

However, in all but two games, he’s been held to two or fewer catches.

As Montgomery emphasized, the issue isn’t effort but rather opportunity — fewer deep attempts, slightly lower volume, same efficiency. One area directly tied to his reduced numbers, Montgomery added, is third-down performance.

“Third down production and what it means for receivers is more chances. For running backs, it’s more touches and longer drives,” Montgomery said.

“But on third downs, you want to give them chances for catch-and-run plays. Many of those have been past the sticks. Looking back at our history and across the league, you’ll notice more catch-and-run opportunities now.

“When we’ve played well, our yards after catch have been strong — we had one game with nearly 170 yards. But in games where we’ve fallen short, even in wins, we haven’t met our standard in that area. So, we need to sharpen some things in his toolbox. There are also other adjustments we can make to put him in better situations.”

Opposing defenses have often used shell coverage against Williams, opening the field for Amon-Ra St. Brown and Sam LaPorta on underneath routes. For receivers, managing limited targets comes with the territory.

“If he wasn’t a little bit ornery right now, it would just signal complacency to me. He hasn’t shown anything negative in the building or on the sideline — which, in another year, might have happened four or five weeks ago,” Montgomery said.

“But I do think it shows his maturity. He knows he’s working and doing things the right way. Usually, the way you prepare builds confidence, and when you don’t prepare properly, frustration grows when things don’t go your way or you’re not getting opportunities.”