The Kansas City Chiefs have suffered early injuries in the 2024 NFL season, with Patrick Mahomes losing key teammates in offense. Therefore, Andy Reid has recently been encouraged to consider a Houston Texans weapon who is not one of CJ Stroud’s favorite targets.
While many have linked the Chiefs with the likes of Davante Adams, Amari Cooper or even Tyreek Hill; Alex Ballentine of Bleacher Report suggests Kansas City should make a move for Robert Woods:
“Robert Woods has shown he can still be a complementary piece in a good offense, but the Texans’ depth at receiver has relegated him to a tiny role in Houston. He would be a much greater help to the Chiefs…even if Houston might be hesitant to help Kansas City as well.”
Ballentine understands that the Chiefs are not in a position to make a blockbuster trade to help Mahomes, which is why landing a player of Woods’ caliber would make more sense. However, even this kind of target doesn’t look that realistic for the defending Super Bowl champs.
Robert Woods #2 of the Houston Texans celebrates a first down during the first quarter of a game against the Tennessee Titans at NRG Stadium on December 31, 2023 in Houston, Texas.
Woods would hardly improve the Chiefs’ current WR room, even with Marquise Brown and Rashee Rice sidelined by injuries. If the team decides to make a move, it will be to significantly strengthen the group, not merely to add more players.
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Mahomes currently counts on Xavier Worthy, JuJu Smith-Schuster, Justin Watson, Mecole Hardman, and Skyy Moore. It’s safe to say Woods’ presence wouldn’t make much of a difference, as his production has been low in the last few years.
After all, there’s a reason Woods isn’t one of Stroud’s most targeted pass catchers in Houston. Besides, he’s not getting any younger. And it’s not like Woods would be a bargain either, as the Chiefs would struggle to fit his $6.25m salary into their budget.
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A second-round pick out of USC in 2013, Woods spent his first four years in the NFL with the Buffalo Bills before landing a five-year, $34 million deal with the Los Angeles Rams in 2017. He posted career-high numbers in LA until injuries caught up with him, which eventually led to his trade to the Tennessee Titans in 2022.
That’s when his career started to go downhill, as Woods got released only a year later. He’s been with the Texans since 2023, but without playing a significant role in the offense led by Stroud.
Reid made it clear to Mahomes after Rice’s injury that he really believes in the Chiefs’ current WR room, and Smith-Schuster proved the coach right with a statement performance in the Week 5 win over the Saints. We’ll have to wait and see whether the group continues to respond during Brown and Rice’s absence.
