Former Buffalo Bills wide receiver Robert Woods will be playing for an AFC rival next year.
The 33-year-old signed a one-year contract with the Pittsburgh Steelers, ESPN’s Brooke Pryor reported on April 28. Woods started his career with the Bills in 2013 and has made stops with three other teams. He will now join a Steelers team that overhauled its offense this offseason, with no clear direction at quarterback.
Robert Woods Keeps Contributing
Woods spent the first four years of his career with the Bills, making 203 catches for 2,451 yards with 12 touchdowns in 57 total games. He later joined the Los Angeles Rams, putting together back-to-back 1,000-yard seasons and winning a Super Bowl.
Woods now joins a Steelers team that infused some talent into their wide receiver room this offseason, trading for DK Metcalf to go along with George Pickens. As Pryor noted, Woods can add a different skill set to the offense.
“At 6-foot, 193 pounds, Woods gives the Steelers a different receiver type who slots between the larger and physical Metcalf and Pickens and the speedy, smaller receivers such as [Calvin] Austin and [Roman] Wilson,” Pryor reported.
The Steelers are still waiting for clarity at quarterback, moving on from veterans Russell Wilson and Justin Fields after last season. The Steelers have met with veteran Aaron Rodgers, but he has yet to make a decision on what he will do next season.
Woods has 683 total receptions for 8,233 yards and 38 touchdowns in his career.
Bills Make Changes in Receiving Corps
The Bills have made some changes in their own wide receiving corps this offseason, allowing veteran Mack Hollins to leave in free agency and not re-signing trade-deadline acquisition Amari Cooper.
The Bills also added a pair of pass-catchers in the NFL draft, taking Georgia Tech tight end Jackson Hawes in the fifth round and wide receiver Kaden Prather in the seventh.
Prather, who stands 6-foot-5 with a time of 4.46 seconds in the 40-yard dash, brings a combination of size and speed that the team’s wide receiving corps currently lacks. NFL.com expert Lance Zierlein wrote that he is a strong route runner who can stretch the field for the Bills.
“Outside receiver with size and speed to create advantages downfield,” Zierlein wrote. “Prather is not explosive — though he builds and carries speed to create deep windows — and needs to do a better job of finishing routes and catches. He’s too leggy and tight-hipped to beat man coverage over the first two levels and he’s not a natural pass catcher in traffic.”
But Zierlein added that Prather may need to find another route to an NFL roster, starting by contributing on special teams.
“Prather is a niche option as a field-stretcher with good height, weight and speed, but he might need to prove he can play special teams to give himself a legitimate roster shot,” he wrote.
The Bills have looked into other options at wide receiver, hosting restricted free agent Elijah Moore for a visit after the draft concluded. Moore has been a steady receiver over four seasons with the New York Jets and Cleveland Browns, topping 445 yards in every season.
