The Steelers signed wide receiver Robert Woods in free agency, adding a veteran player at the position who has over 8,000 receiving yards in his career.
Woods, 33, was a second-round pick of the Bills in 2013. He's also spent time with the Rams, Titans and, most recently, with the Texans, for whom he played the past two seasons.
An accomplished high school sprinter, Woods is a USC product and caught 253 passes for nearly 3,000 yards in just three seasons.
His best seasons came in 2018 through 2020 with the Rams, when he caught 86, 90 and 90 passes, breaking 1,000 yards twice to go along with 14 touchdown catches while helping Los Angeles to the Super Bowl in 2018.
An accomplished route runner, Woods saw his production drop off the past two seasons with Houston after the emergence of Nico Collins. In two seasons with the Texans, Woods caught 60 passes for 629 yards and one touchdown.
Woods (6-foot, 195 pounds), aligned both inside and outside in 2024 for the Texans, playing 115 snaps in the slot and 282 on the outside.
In 2023, he played 364 snaps in the slot and 337 outside.
His addition gives the Steelers another option as an inside-outside player to pair with the group of DK Metcalf and George Pickens on the outside and Calvin Austin, Roman Wilson, Ben Skowronek and Scotty Miller on the inside after the team did not acquire an additional wide receiver in the draft.
Woods also is considered an above-average blocker in the running game from the wide receiver position, something the Steelers clearly want to improve to help assist in breaking more explosive runs in 2025.
He's also done most of his best work in recent seasons in the middle of the field. Last season, he caught 15 of his 20 targets between the hash marks for 151 yards.
In 2023, that number was 25 of 40 targets for 236 yards and one touchdown.
Because he was signed after the draft, the acquisition of Woods does not count against the Steelers' compensatory pick formula in 2026.
