What history says about Robert Woods returning to full strength after a torn ACL
The Tennessee Titans made a key addition over the weekend by trading a sixth-round pick to the Los Angeles Rams for wide receiver Robert Woods. Woods was a popular player with Los Angeles who proved to be an effective blocker and a great route runner. He became expendable this offseason thanks to his contract and […]
The Tennessee Titans made a key addition over the weekend by trading a sixth-round pick to the Los Angeles Rams for wide receiver Robert Woods.
Woods was a popular player with Los Angeles who proved to be an effective blocker and a great route runner. He became expendable this offseason thanks to his contract and the Rams' recent addition of wide receiver Allen Robinson.
There's also the fact that Woods is coming off a torn ACL that he suffered last November.
Woods isn't an injury-prone player — the ACL tear was a freak injury — but there's still some concern about what type of player he'll be when he returns.
History suggests he'll see a decline thanks to his injury combined with his age.
On Monday, Jason Martin from JMart and Ramon on 104.5 The Zone in Nashville went through the history of various wide receivers recovering from torn ACLs. And he discovered — via some help from an NBC Sports article — that players who tear their ACL after age 30 typically see a decline in their production.
Here's a clip of Martin going over his findings.
Woods tore his ACL at age 29, but he'll be 30 when he returns to the field.
I don't think Titans fans should be too concerned after hearing this. Sure, it's unlikely that Woods is going to return to being a 1,000-yard receiver again. But that's not what the Titans need him to be.
The Titans just need Woods to be a reliable second option in the passing game. Someone who runs good routes and opens up the field for quarterback Ryan Tannehill. And, of course, they need him to block so running back Derrick Henry can do his thing.
Perhaps just as importantly, they need Woods to be a good team leader, too.
Tennessee isn't looking for a Pro-Bowl season out of a player they gave a sixth-round pick for. If Woods finishes with 700ish receiving yards, the Titans will be thrilled.
And since Woods isn't reliant on his speed to be a productive wide receiver, I think that type of production is entirely possible for Woods.
The ACL tear is part of the reason Woods was so cheap. This is a low-risk move that makes Tennessee a better team, regardless of what kind of stats Woods puts up in 2022.
Featured image via Robert Hanashiro-USA TODAY Sports
