Robert Woods

Woods is with a new team for the second season in a row after his five-year run with the Rams ended with a torn ACL in November 2021. He made it back for Week 1 last season and played all 17 games for the run-heavy Titans, easily leading the team in targets (91) and target share (20.9 percent). Woods didn't do much with the volume, finishing with career lows in YPC (9.9) and YPT (5.8) and his lowest catch rate (58.2 percent) since his 2013 rookie season in Buffalo. He had more yards the year before for Los Angeles in eight fewer games, so there is some chance of a rebound in his age-31 season now that he isn't in his first year back from ACL injury. The Texans are betting on it, as his two-year, $15.25 million contract includes $10 million guaranteed, though the team also signed Noah Brown, drafted Nathaniel Dell (Round 3) and Xavier Hutchinson (Round 6) and has 2022 second-round pick John Metchie back after a missed rookie year. Woods and Nico Collins are probably favorites for the top two spots on the depth chart, but it might be an open competition under the new coaching staff, which features Bobby Slowik at offensive coordinator for Year 1 of the C.J. Stroud era.

It was a bittersweet ending in Los Angeles for Woods, who missed the Super Bowl run while rehabbing an ACL tear and was then traded to Tennessee for a sixth-round pick in the offseason. He now joins his third NFL team ahead of his age-30 campaign, having played four years in Buffalo (43.0 receiving yards per game) and five in L.A. (68.0 receiving yards and 7.1 rushing yards per game). The Titans are certainly counting on Woods to bounce back, as they later traded A.J. Brown for a first-round pick that turned into WR Treylon Burks (18th overall). The Titans still figure to lean on Derrick Henry first and foremost, and they also added TE Austin Hooper after failing to properly replace Jonnu Smith the previous offseason. Brown's departure helps, but between the ACL rehab and run-first offense, Woods still seems unlikely to match his peak volume from 2018-20, a three-year stretch where he had 86-90 catches on 129-139 targets each season.

Woods had his usual allotment of targets last year but couldn't escape the drag that was the Rams 2020 offense. As a result, he averaged a meager 10.4 YPC (33rd of 35 100-target WR) and 7.3 YPT (30th). Woods did set a career high with eight TDs, two of which were on the ground, but that seems fluky given his lack of big plays and meager red-zone usage (11 targets). At 6-0, 195, and with 4.51 speed, Woods relies on route running, solid hands and an understanding of coach Sean McVay’s offense. He’s also been durable, playing in 47 of the Rams' last 48 games. This year, Woods gets a major quarterback upgrade with Matthew Stafford replacing Jared Goff, something that should improve the efficiency of the entire passing game. Cooper Kupp is probably the more skilled receiver, second-year man Van Jefferson should have an increased role and newly signed DeSean Jackson is around to stretch the defense for the handful of games in which he’ll be healthy enough to suit up. But Woods is a staple in the offense and should see similar volume as last season, only with better efficiency. And the rushing yards and occasional scores are fairly bankable, given Woods’ usage on jet sweeps.

Woods built on his 2018 breakout, but like the rest of the Rams offense, his efficiency slipped in the process. Woods went from 14.2 YPC and 9.4 YPT to 12.6 and 8.2, respectively. Despite drawing nine more targets, Woods had six fewer catches of 20-plus yards. With fewer big plays and a less potent offense, Woods found paydirt only three times all year, and one of those was on a handoff. That's not likely to change too much, as Woods is rarely used in the red zone (nine targets) or near the goal line (three targets). At 6-0, 195, Woods has only average size, and his 4.51 speed is similarly pedestrian. His best assets are his route running, hands (he dropped only two of 139 targets) and understanding of Sean McVay's offense. Woods also played 94 percent of the Rams' offensive snaps, far more than teammate Cooper Kupp (80 percent). With Brandin Cooks now in Houston, Woods will reprise his role as a featured member in the team's offense, and the jet-sweep handoffs should give him another hundred-ish yards and a chance for a score. But there's more floor than ceiling in this skill set, and Kupp and tight end Tyler Higbee are the red-zone locks and better bets for touchdowns.

Woods built on his 2017 breakout with a 130-86-1,219-6 line in his second season with the Rams. Moreover, he retained his high efficiency - 9.4 YPT (9th) and reeled in 20 catches of 20-plus yards (T-8th) despite being only 13th in targets. Woods is not a downfield threat, however - no catches of 40-plus yards in 2018 and only four in his six-year career. He has just average size (6-0, 195) and his speed (4.51 40) is similarly pedestrian. Woods excels with his route running, toughness and first-rate hands - only three drops all year. It also helps that the Rams consistently scheme their receivers open. Woods didn't see a ton of red-zone work (12 targets inside the 20, eight inside the 10), and caught only six touchdown passes all year. His role shouldn't change much in 2019, but Cooper Kupp is on track to return after missing most of the year with a torn ACL, potentially costing Woods a few targets. The Rams also used Woods as a rusher last year - 19 carries for 157 yards and a TD - something that adds a little to his overall value.

Woods was a garden-variety possession receiver with little upside - or so we thought. That was before he got to play in the Rams' dynamic offensive system. Woods averaged 9.2 YPT (8th among the league's 44 85-target WR) in 12 games, scored five times and had five games with 70 or more receiving yards. At 6-0, 193, Woods has only average size, and his 4.51 speed is similarly unremarkable. But he's quick, runs crisp routes and has good hands. More important, the Rams effectively scheme to get their receivers open, and Jared Goff is good enough to find them, usually with a fair amount of space to run after the catch - both Woods and teammate Cooper Kupp were among the top 30 WR in YAC, and remember Woods played only three quarters of the season. In 2018, Woods should once again be one of Goff's top targets, though Brandin Cooks - acquired from New England - will replace the departed Sammy Watkins, possibly cutting into Woods' target share.

On its face, Los Angeles seems like a bad landing spot, with one of the league's worst QB situations. But opportunity is king, and given the sparseness of the Rams' depth chart, Woods should get it. At 6-0, 190, Woods has average size, and his 4.51 40 speed is similarly average. But Woods is quick, runs precise routes and has reliable hands. Don't expect big plays -- zero 40-yard catches over the last three years -- and he's never been much of a red-zone presence. Woods has been afforded familiarity with the acquisition of Sammy Watkins, his teammate of three seasons in Buffalo, giving the Rams a receiver to take the top off defenses. Consequently, Woods will be running his customary underneath routes, while the 5-8, 176-pound Tavon Austin gets to work in space as both a pass-catcher and rusher.

Heading into the 2016 campaign, Woods will enter the season a lot healthier than last year. Of course, Sammy Watkins will get most of the targets, but with his health always a question mark and no clear No. 3 or 4 receiver behind him, Woods could see a lot of single coverage and secondary targets. A step up from his 47 catches for 552 yards in 14 games a year ago is not out of the question.

Woods saw more volume last year (104 targets), but he ran mostly short routes with EJ Manuel and Kyle Orton under center, and his efficiency (10.8 YPC, 6.7 YPT) declined as a result. This year, the Bills have a new coach (Rex Ryan), a new offensive coordinator (Greg Roman), a new quarterback (probably Matt Cassel, though Manuel will compete with him in camp) and new receiving threats in Percy Harvin and tight end Charles Clay, with whom Woods will compete for targets. The only certainty is the offense will run through newly acquired tailback LeSean McCoy and last year's No. 4 overall pick, WR Sammy Watkins. At 6-0, 190, with 4.51 40 speed, Woods profiles as a possession receiver with good quickness and route-running skills. Don't expect a lot of red-zone work or downfield playmaking, but Woods should carve out a role moving the chains.

Between Woods suffering an ankle injury and fellow rookie quarterback EJ Manuel missing time, don't make too much of last year’s results. Woods showed flashes at times – a string of four games from Weeks 2-5 where he topped 60 yards three times, and a two-game 152 yard stretch late in the year where he scored a touchdown. At 6-0, 190, Woods has just average size, and his 4.51 40 speed is middle-of-the-road as well. But he’s a smooth strider with good quickness and a polished route runner for a young receiver. He’ll vie for targets with rookie Sammy Watkins and recently signed Mike Williams.

The Bills' second-round pick last April, Woods has a decent chance to emerge from training camp as a starter opposite Steve Johnson. At 6-1, 190 and with merely decent speed Woods is more polished than most rookies, and his smoothness as a runner and ability to stop and start quickly allow him to get open in the short and intermediate areas of the field. Woods probably isn't going to make a lot of big plays, however, and he’s unlikely to be a major factor in the red zone, even if he does win the job.