The first question fans asked when the Los Angeles Rams traded Robert Woods to the Tennessee Titans was “why?” It was a move that upset a lot of fans in Los Angeles, even after the excitement that the Allen Robinson signing brought.
The salary cap was a big factor in the trade, but it wasn’t the only variable that led to the Rams trading the veteran receiver to Nashville. Les Snead explained on Tuesday that it also had to do with wanting a different skill set at wide receiver, as well as the desire to let their younger players continue to develop.
“Obviously, we’re fortunate to have had a lot of success since ’17 and Rob’s a huge part of that. We wouldn’t have had the success we’ve had since ’17 without Rob,” Snead said. “There are a few variables involved when you move on from a pillar player like Robert and obviously cap situation being one. Diversity of skill set being another with our five eligibles and trying to bring in different genres to help us move the ball, get first downs, have explosives, touchdowns. And also continue the evolution of some of our players like Van Jefferson that are on rookie contracts. So those three variables really come into that decision.”
All of this makes sense. The Rams saved about $7 million in cap space by trading Woods, which was helpful. They also brought in Robinson, who’s 6-foot-2 and one of the best contested-catch receivers in football. While Woods is a similar player to Van Jefferson and Cooper Kupp, Robinson has different traits than all of them.
The Rams have sunk a lot of capital into the receiver position, too, with Jefferson, Tutu Atwell, Jacob Harris and Ben Skowronek all hopefully contributing in one way or another next season. Woods would’ve made that more difficult, even if he is clearly a better player than all of them.
The Rams saw the opportunity to replace Woods with Robinson as a net positive, and while that’s up for debate, we’ll learn soon enough whether that was a good move.
