Dan Campbell: Tyleik Williams slimmed down to 325 pounds, "I'm really proud of him"

Published July 30, 2026 08:42 AM At the 2025 NFL Scouting Combine, defensive tackle Tyleik Williams weighed 334 pounds. The Lions liked him enough to draft him in the first round, but they told him they didn’t want him getting heavier. Early this offseason, he did. Now, he’s lighter.Lions coach Dan Campbell said today that he’s pumped about what good of shape Williams got into by putting in additional workouts at the team facility this offseason and working with Lions Director of Performance Nutrition Scott Nealon on eating healthy.“I’m really proud of him, really proud of him,” Campbell said of Williams. “He’s a man of his word. Before we drafted him, we sat up there, Brad [Holmes] and I did, and said, ‘Is there going to be an issue with your weight, ever?’ ‘No.’ He came in, he noticed that he was a little bit heavy in the spring. He came in two weeks before our program even started and was pretty heavy and said, ‘I want to get this right.’ He put in the work, Scott did a great job with him, got him right.”Campbell said Williams now weighs 325 pounds, which the Lions think is his ideal playing weight.“He’s just put the work in. He’s put the work in. And I’ll tell you what, he’s a man of his word. Came in at 325, made his weight, crushed the conditioning test,” Campbell said. “Really fired up. It’s a credit to him.” As a rookie last year, Williams was on the field for 40 percent of the Lions’ defensive snaps. This year, Campbell said, Williams may earn more playing time.“Our eyes are open,” Campbell said. “We’re willing to give him an opportunity, if there’s a little bit more that shows, maybe he’s out there a little bit more on third down. We like Tyleik. We absolutely know there’s a role for him and there’s something he can do for us that really helps us. Can it be even more than that? Yeah. Our eyes are open.”