The Tennessee Titans’ trade for Robert Woods has received positive feedback from fans, media, and future teammates. Tennessee added one of the grittiest and most consistent wide receivers of the last couple of years in exchange for a 2023 sixth-round pick.
One of the reasons for the low price tag is because the talented wide receiver is coming off a torn ACL, which has already led some fans to begin having the misconception the team is adding another injury-prone wide receiver.
Truth is, prior to his ACL injury last November, the USC product had only missed one game in the previous three seasons (2018-2020). Over those three seasons, Woods averaged 1,238 total yards (rushing and receiving), while also adding 18 touchdowns both through the air and on the ground.
The former second-round pick was also in the midst of another great season in 2021 when the unfortunate injury happened at practice. Woods caught 45 passes for 556 yards and had five total touchdowns in just nine games.
Nonetheless, the addition of Woods is a fantastic one for a multitude of reasons.
The USC product is a respected locker room leader who produces at a high level, he complements fellow wideout A.J. Brown extremely well, and he’s arguably the best blocking wide receiver in the NFL.
Robert Woods PFF Run Blocking grade & rank among WR's.
2021: 84.9 (1st)
2020: 54.6 (88th)
2019: 75.8 (11th)
2018: 79.9 (11th)
2017: 88.8 (2nd)— No Flags Film (@NoFlagsFilm) March 20, 2022
However, there’s also another aspect of Woods’ game that can help elevate the Titans’ offense to another level.
According to Next Gen Stats, last season the Titans’ offense used a shift/motion rate on 59 percent of their offensive snaps (sixth in NFL).
Woods, on the other hand, has been sent in shift/motion 863 times since 2018, 140 more than the next closest player (Travis Kelce). The Titans’ new receiver also has the third-most shift/motion carries over that time frame, the only wide receiver to rank in the top 25.
In total over the last three-and-a-half seasons, when using a shift/motion on offense, Bobby Trees ranks:
- 1st in snaps (863)
- 7th in receptions off motions (66)
- 3rd in carries off motions (50)
- 1st in total yards (1,117)
- 6th in touchdowns (7)
Robert Woods has been sent in shift/motion 863 times since 2018, 140 more than the next closest player (T. Kelce).
Woods has the 3rd-most shift/motion carries over that time frame — the only WR to rank in the top 25.
» Titans Offense (2021): 59% shift/motion rate (6th in NFL) https://t.co/Mn5TA61pxS pic.twitter.com/0A88RkRhhN
— Next Gen Stats (@NextGenStats) March 21, 2022
Woods gives the Titans a versatile Swiss Army knife who can do a little bit of everything for this offense. He’s a legitimate tone-setter in both the passing and running game, while also being cerebral enough that he can line up anywhere across the offense and be used in a handful of different ways.
Woods’ unique ability to move around pre-snap will be something the team can utilize in order to give him the leverage to find and hit vulnerable holes in the defense.
Defenders are well aware of his ability to hurt them anytime he’s in motion, which can also create a valuable decoy for the rest of the offense by forcing defenses to think rather than just reacting.
Only time will tell how this marriage works out, but there are plenty of reasons to believe that this unification of Woods and the Titans could eventually become a match made in heaven.
