When the Tennessee Titans pulled off a trade with the Los Angeles Rams for veteran wide receiver Robert Woods earlier this offseason, he was originally slated to be the No. 2 receiver behind A.J. Brown.
However, things changed drastically when the Titans dealt Brown to the Philadelphia Eagles on draft night. In one fell swoop, Woods went from being a complementary piece to the top dog in Tennessee’s offense.
There’s a lot to like about Woods, from his leadership to his ability as a pass-catcher and blocker, but he does come with a major concern: he’s coming back from a torn ACL and might not be himself in his first year, something we saw with outside linebacker Bud Dupree in 2021.
The good news is Woods has looked great during the offseason program and it appears he’s on track to be a full-go when training camp begins on July 27.
In an article naming the best offseason move for each team, the trade for Woods was pegged as Tennessee’s best by The Athletic’s Joe Rexrode.
At that point, it looked like Woods could be the “Robin” to A.J. Brown’s “Batman” that Julio Jones couldn’t be in 2021 (and remember, some thought Jones might still be Batman when the season started). Then the Titans made the stunning decision to trade Brown to the Eagles on draft night and pick Treylon Burks at No. 18 to replace him, and Woods vaulted to headliner status. It remains to be seen if Woods is up to that role, but his ACL rehab is ahead of schedule and he looked fast and sudden in the Titans’ spring sessions. He also immediately made a strong, positive impression on folks in the building.
Based on Tennessee’s shaky situation at wide receiver right now, it’s easy to see why Rexrode went with Woods.
Guys like Treylon Burks, Kyle Philips, Nick Westbrook-Ikhine and Dez Fitzpatrick are all vying for significant roles, but that group ranges from somewhat to totally unproven.
The Titans are going to need Woods to be the stabilizing force of this unit in 2022 if they want to improve what was one of their biggest issues during the 2021 campaign.