For Texans WR Robert Woods, Veteran Leadership Is His Most Important Attribute
HOUSTON — Robert Woods has yet to play a down for the Houston Texans. But two days into OTAs, Woods has already commanded the respect of the Texans' young corps.
"For Robert, I think he just helps guys," coach DeMeco Ryans said. "When you're a player and you have those questions that a coach may not be able to get to you right now, get that answer to you as quick as possible, Robert is that guy players can go to."
The Texans signed Woods to help improve their subpar wide receiver unit. Last season, Houston did not have a receiver who recorded over 700 yards.
Brandin Cooks came close, finishing the 2022 campaign with 699 yards on 57 catches and three touchdowns. He held the title as the Texans' best receiver since his arrival in 2020. But his departure in March via trade to the Dallas Cowboys has left a major void for Houston to fill.
It may take a collective effort for the Texans to replace Cooks' on-field services. But when it comes to the veteran leadership he provided, Woods makes for a solid successor.
"That's what veteran leadership is about in the NFL," Ryans said. "The real veterans in this league, they pass on knowledge, they pass on information to the younger guys, and those younger guys continue that as they grow throughout the league.
Ryans described Woods as a veteran his young players should lean upon. It took two months into Woods' tenure in Houston to demonstrate his leadership qualities by sitting in on quarterbacks' meetings at the start of OTA practices.
"[I'm] trying to be in there and know what they expect from a quarterback perspective and then what they want from a receiver and being able to have some extra time," Woods said.
"Relaying messages of what I expect in the route and what I'm thinking from the quarterback and defense perspective, where we're both expecting the ball and being able to steal a rep on the film and being able to go out there and make it come to life in person."
The 2023 season would be Woods' 10th in the league. Between his time with the Buffalo Bills, Los Angeles Rams and Tennessee Titans, Woods has experienced every aspect of the league — from the highs as a No. 1 receiver to the lows of battling back from an ACL injury.
His top priority is to engrave the championship mentality he learned during the later years with the Rams, who won Super Bowl LVI in 2021.
Woods may no longer be the receiver who recorded over 1,000 yards in back-to-back seasons (2018 and 2019). But he already has one of the most significant voices inside NRG Stadium.
"We stand on the backs of the guys who came before us in this league," Ryans said. "That allows us to be in this position.”
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