COLUMN: Robert Woods Will Help the Titans "Be Great" Around Ryan Tannehill, at Least More Than Julio Jones
NASHVILLE, Tenn. ⏤ The Tennessee Titans gave up more than just a 2023 sixth-round pick to trade for Rams receiver Robert Woods; they lost Julio Jones as well. That's how the trade should be looked at, in practical terms⏤not as a late-round, one-year-from-now draft pick for a receiver trade, but as a receiver-for-receiver trade The […]
NASHVILLE, Tenn. ⏤ The Tennessee Titans gave up more than just a 2023 sixth-round pick to trade for Rams receiver Robert Woods; they lost Julio Jones as well.
That's how the trade should be looked at, in practical terms⏤not as a late-round, one-year-from-now draft pick for a receiver trade, but as a receiver-for-receiver trade
The Titans, essentially, traded Jones for Woods. They released Jones to free up close to $10 million of the salary cap after June 1, and that money will help them afford Woods' manageable-but-not-cheap contract.
Tennessee, almost certainly, isn't done adding receivers⏤at least they shouldn't be. It was their biggest need before releasing Jones, and his departure only increased the size of the Titans' void at that position.
That being the case, the best question to ask when evaluating the Titans' decision to trade for Woods isn't "will Woods prove to be worth a sixth-round draft pick?" The answer to that question will almost certainly be "yes" barring a catastrophic plummet by Woods.
Rather, the best question to ask is "will Woods make the Titans better than Julio Jones did?" since, after all, this was really a one-for-one deal.
BETTER AROUND TANNEHILL
The answer to that question, though not as easy as the first, will also likely be "yes," at least if you measure it by what the Titans' repeatedly-professed goal for the offseason: getting better around QB Ryan Tannehill.
"We have to be great around him," head coach Mike Vrabel said after Tennessee's season-ending loss to the Bengals in the playoffs.
"There’s an expectation for a lineman to protect inside out, not get beat inside and making sure we’re firm in the middle of the pocket and making sure we run the edge rushers by. When we’re running routes that we run the right route, when we catch the ball we catch it in the technique we teach it, which is out in front of the body with our hands."
Woods won't match Jones' explosiveness or insane athleticism⏤standing on the sideline and watching Jones practice in 2021 was an otherworldly experience, and that's not likely to be the case with Woods.
He should, however, make life infinitely easier for Tannehill.
Consistency is arguably the most important aspect of "being great" around a QB, which Woods knows all too well from his time helping Jared Goff and Matthew Stafford of the Rams excel.
"You've got to be reliable every single down, you can't make stuff up in between routes," Woods said. "Being reliable, catching the ball as well. You've got to be consistent on first down, second down and third down."
TOUGH SLEDDING
Unfortunately for the Titans, Jones never got anywhere close to that in his lone season with the team.
Previously one of the NFL's juggernaut receivers, whose stellar 10 seasons with Atlanta could very well propel him to the Pro Football Hall of Fame, Jones proved to be a shell of his former self in Tennessee because of an inability to stay on the field.
Jones played in just 11 of the Titans' 18 regular- and postseason games in 2021 thanks to a hamstring issue that the word "aggravating" doesn't begin to adequately describe.
In several of those games, Jones either didn't last more than a few quarters or made no discernable impact.
The perennial week-to-week nature of Jones' availability was undoubtedly burdensome for Tannehill; Jones constantly coming in and out of the lineup made it hard for Tannehill to get into a rhythm with his available weapons, and his frequent inability to practice made developing chemistry virtually impossible for the two.
As Vrabel said, Tannehill "can only throw to the guys that are out there."
Those problems figure to go away with Woods, which, along with his talent and recent track record of great production, makes him a clear upgrade over Jones.
THE DIFFERENCE WITH WOODS
Simply being healthy and available doesn't mean a receiver is good, let alone a better option than a seven-time Pro Bowler like Jones. But Woods is more than that; he developed into a legitimate weapon during his five years in Los Angeles, twice eclipsing 1,000 yards and 90 catches.
He figures to bring similar production to Tennessee, so long as they use him properly.
"I get open. That's what I'm going to be able to do in this offense⏤create separation, make it an easy throw for him and, when he does throw it, make contested catches," Woods said.
Evaluating whether Woods is an objectively better player than a 33-year-old Jones is a somewhat difficult proposition. What's simple, though, is evaluating whether close to 17 games⏤with full weeks of practice⏤of Woods is better than 10 of Jones with limited, if any, practice.
Woods takes the cake. Easily.
That's why swapping Jones for Woods will, indeed, help the Titans be better around Tannehill than they were in 2021.
Even if it takes Woods some time to return to form when he's cleared to resume action after tearing his ACL last season, he will at least be on the field. He will at least be practicing.
As far as Tannehill is concerned, that's a major boost, and Woods knows it.
"It’s all about practice, it’s all about timing, you’ve got to be out there on the practice field, you’ve got to be out there getting reps, mental reps, physical reps," Woods said.
"Creating that relationship with Tannehill is very important, 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."
- Woods image: Robert Hanashiro/USA Today
- Tannehill image: Albert Cesare/The Enquirer
