What Woods Means to Other Big Names on Offense
NASHVILLE – In describing the nickname he’s had for most of his NFL career, Tennessee Titans wide receiver Robert Woods explained that “Bobby Trees” has gradually turned into an alter ego of sorts.
The nine-year veteran is one man when away from the football field, quite another when it’s time to get down to business.
“As soon as that national anthem is finished, Bobby Trees comes out, (and I) turn into a whole different person,” Woods said Wednesday, hours after his trade from the Los Angeles Rams became official. “The smile comes off and I really just become that aggressor -- setting the tone, being physical, being stout, making guys intimidated to tackle me and to come up and press … All these things, it’s just a tone-setter. It’s a mindset.”
So, how will Bobby Trees impact the Titans’ three big weapons on offense – running back Derrick Henry, wide receiver A.J. Brown and quarterback Ryan Tannehill?
Here’s how Woods, who’s caught 570 career passes for 7,077 yards and 35 touchdowns, envisions his role with respect to those three players:
Ryan Tannehill
Woods is already more familiar with Tannehill than some might think. The two formed a personal relationship years ago when they met at an NFL Christian conference.
In addition, Woods saw plenty of Tannehill early in the careers of both players. Woods played his first four seasons in Buffalo (2013-16), an AFC East team that played Tannehill and his former team, the Miami Dolphins, twice a year during that stretch.
“I’ve always (known) he’s capable of making the throws, being able to be a 4,000-yard passer, being able to spread the ball around to many different receivers,” Woods said. “I checked him out early (in Tennessee), what he was doing with A.J. (Brown) and a year with Corey (Davis) when he was here ... I know he’s an athletic quarterback, can make some plays on the run.”
One of the problems last season was that Tannehill and Julio Jones (acquired in a trade last June) never seemed to develop much chemistry. Jones was not with Tennessee through virtually all the OTAs and mini-camp. He then missed the majority of training camp due to a hamstring injury, and he was in and out of the lineup all year because of the recurring hamstring issue.
Woods is still recovering from a knee injury, which required reconstructive surgery in the middle of last season. At the very least, he will sit out OTAs, and potentially mini-camp. It wouldn’t be a shock to see him limited at the start of training camp either.
So how does Woods plan to develop the chemistry with Tannehill that the quarterback lacked with Jones?
“I think we’re going to connect well in meetings,” Woods said. “I’m going to be picking his brain, asking about concepts, what does he want from a quarterback perspective, how I see it from a receiver perspective, and really try to get on the same page.
“Standing next to him, having the script, knowing how he thinks so once I’m out there … he already knows mentally how I’m thinking.”
One of the reasons Tannehill’s numbers slid noticeably last season was the lack of a bona fide No. 2 receiver available on a regular basis. He often appeared to lock in on Brown, keying defenders that a pass was headed in that direction. Assuming Woods’ return to full health goes more smoothly than Jones’ did, his ability to both practice and play more regularly should be a welcome relief to Tannehill.
“Creating that relationship, I know, is very important,” Woods said. “Building that bond, being an open target. He has to be able to trust me, and I have to be able to trust him, and give that trust to him.
“I have to go out there and make the catch or make sure the defender is not getting that ball. That gives him the trust to keep throwing the ball to me. Obviously if you’re making plays, he’s going to keep slinging it.”
A.J. Brown
The thought in 2021 was that Jones would provide an ideal complement to Brown, giving him freer rein because defenses would have to account for two excellent receivers.
That never transpired. Jones was limited to nine games and rarely looked like the receiver that made the Pro Bowl in seven of his 10 seasons with Atlanta.
Woods envisions he and Brown as having similar traits, especially when it comes to producing yards after the catch.
Brown was one of the NFL’s best in that category in 2019 (8.7 yards after the catch) and 2020 (5.9 yards), but was held to a 3.6-yard average last season, per Pro Football Focus. Woods averaged 6.4 yards after the catch in 2019, 5.2 in 2020 and 4.6 last season. Woods’ 2021 average was nearly a yard better than Jones’ (3.7).
Until the torn ACL, Woods also had been durable, having played in 47 of 49 regular-season games over the previous three seasons. If he can be as available in 2022 as he was during his Rams career – prior to last season – that should benefit Brown.
“Guys definitely don’t want to tackle him,” Woods said of Brown. “He finishes through the end zone, strong runner, attacks the ball, aggressive hands.
“So, I think my game with his, being able to hit on both sides, I think will be really dynamic. His game complements mine. Once we get the ball in our hands, I think we’ll really be dangerous, just because how we run and attack defenders, eat up the ground. I think we’re going to be really, really good together.”
Derrick Henry
The Titans had the second-highest percentage of run plays on offense last season (51.2 percent), the third-highest in 2020 (49.7 percent), the third-highest in 2019 (51.2 percent), and the second-highest in 2018 (51.5 percent). Henry has carried 1,115 times during that stretch, piling up 5,563 yards, easily the most of any NFL back over that stretch.
In other words, barring a radical change in philosophy – or Henry suffering a setback – this Titans’ offense will be throwing far fewer passes than Woods’ previous one in Los Angeles. That in turn means fewer targets for Woods than he’s been accustomed. But Woods, who posted the top Pro Football Focus run-blocking grade among starting wide receivers last season, seems ready – and eager – to root out linebackers and defensive backs for Henry.
“You can’t just be watching the (running plays),” Wood said. “I feel like just being involved in the game, staying in tune, being able to get your running back free on the big runs, and really just being physical, setting the tone.
“When you come out there and be physical, you’ve got guys who turn it down on the opposite side of the ball and don’t want to be a part of that. When you set the tone and you set the force, you’re the one in control, and you’re in control of the game.”
The good news for Woods is that the more effective Henry is, the more effective the Titans’ play-action passing game is likely to be. That would benefit Woods, who thrived on play action with the Rams.
“We are going to have to feed off the run, be involved in the play-action game,” Woods said. “That’s what I do. I get open.”
