The Pittsburgh Steelers have agreed to a one-year deal with veteran wide receiver Robert Woods, adding another name to the depth chart after failing to address the position during the 2025 NFL Draft. At 33 years old, Woods is near the end of his career and his cheap one-year, $2 million reflects it.
What can the Steelers expect to get out of him? A film room on his strengths and weaknesses broken down as a receiver and blocker. At the end, we’ll also briefly mention some numbers.
Robert Woods – The Receiver
Woods’ tank is running near empty, and he was never a hyper-athlete coming out of USC more than a decade ago, running a 4.51 40 with a 33.5-inch vertical at the 2013 NFL Combine.
He makes up for that by winning against zone coverage. A savvy veteran, he’s able to sit down and find the soft spots against coverage. Watch him settle here and adjust to this pass thrown intentionally wide away from the closing defensive back, all while being able to turn and shield himself away from the hit for the downfield completion.
Woods is No. 2 in all these clips. In this immediate one below, he is at the bottom on the line of scrimmage.
Woods works well in scramble drills and stays in his quarterback’s vision. Here, he does a nice job breaking away and finding space, though a stumble at the end prevents him from finishing the play. He is top of the screen pre-snap here.
Against man coverage, his lack of separation is a problem. While his releases off the line are still effective, Woods struggles to create space at the break point. A couple examples of him having trouble getting away from cornerbacks, stuck throughout most of the route. Bottom of the screen in the two clips here.
Robert Woods – The Blocker
Block? That’s something Woods can still do at a high level. Blocking is about effort and Woods puts his heart into it, a requirement in OC Arthur Smith’s offense. The best example is here, Woods driving and finishing through the end of the play.
Bottom of the screen here.
But it’s hardly the only one. Here’s a handful of stalk blocks, cracks, and insert blocks, throwing his body around to clear a path for the runner/receiver.
He’s comfortable aligning in tight or as a wing, often used to block EDGE rushers on boots to his side before leaking out or releasing as a receiver.
Robert Woods – The Numbers
In 2024 with the Texans, Woods caught 20 passes for 203 yards and zero touchdowns. It was the first scoreless season of his career. He also handled punts and kicks, 15 and five tries, respectively.
Per Pro Football Focus, he logged 282 snaps on the outside and 115 in the slot during the 2024 season. In 2023, he nearly had a 50-50 split in the slot (364) as he did out wide (337). There’s inside/outside versatility here, though his skill set is better suited for the slot.
Final Thoughts
Woods is a cheap veteran signing that mirrors Allen Robinson II in 2023 and Van Jefferson in 2024. Not just in profile, the inexpensive one-year veteran, but in style. Good-sized veterans who are effective blockers and can win against zone but will struggle versus man and won’t produce much downfield. All three guys are virtually the same type with the same skill set.
Pittsburgh presumably wanted to add a veteran to what’s still a young and growing wide receiver room. There’s certainly value in that, but I question how impactful it will really be, especially if Pittsburgh is angling for Woods to “mentor” George Pickens. Robinson and Jefferson certainly didn’t seem to get through to him and I struggle to see Woods suddenly changing that. Maybe it’s for the others.
Overall, it’s an inoffensive signing and offers a different skill set compared to what’s in the room. There are the big/vertical playmakers in Pickens and DK Metcalf, the smaller, speedy wideouts in Calvin Austin III, Roman Wilson and Scotty Miller, and the special teams ace in Ben Skowronek.
Woods’ roster spot shouldn’t be considered guaranteed, but he’ll have the inside track to one entering camp. It could mean Pittsburgh’s six receivers are already set in Pickens, Metcalf, Austin, Wilson, Skowronek, and Woods. The odd man out for a gameday roster spot will be interesting and could come down to Wilson versus Woods.
