Robert Woods Can Be as Important to Bills Offense as They Let Him Be

The odds were never in Robert Woods' favor.

The Buffalo Bills are a running football team. He was the No. 2 receiver last year and appeared to be bumped down the depth chart when the team subtracted Stevie Johnson while adding Sammy Watkins and Mike Williams this offseason.

If Woods' performance against the Chicago Bears in Week 1 is any indication, Woods is capable of being an integral component to the Bills offense in 2014.

He has the ability to line up both inside and outside, and the skill set to excel in either spot—the quickness to create separation over the middle and the frame (6'0", 190 lbs) to win one-on-one battles on the outside.

Player	Snaps	Targets	Receptions	Yards	YPR	TD	Drops
Robert Woods	53/58	6	4	78	19.5	0	1
Sammy Watkins	55/58	4	3	31	10.3	0	0
Mike Williams	30/58	2	2	36	18	0	0
Marquise Goodwin	13/58	1	0	0	0	0	0

Against the Bears, Woods led all Bills receivers with four receptions for 78 yards (19.5 yards per reception). His 53 snaps were second-most on the team, according to Pro Football Focus (subscription required). 

Woods has come a far way since the preseason, when he was riding the bench while the rest of the first-team offense was on the field.

"It is what it is. You come out here and make plays whenever you're on the field," he said at the time. "Every time I come out here I just try to prove a point. Every day is an example and just proof why I'm here."

Whatever happened between then and now, whatever example he made, Woods surely got his point across.

He led all receivers in snaps in the preseason—which is not necessarily a good thing, as it can be an indication that a player's job is less than safe—despite being considered the team's training camp MVP by Chris Brown of BuffaloBills.com.

Nevertheless, he was way ahead of Williams on the snap sheet in Week 1, with nearly double the playing time (30 snaps for Williams, 53 for Woods).

That's not to say that Williams can't or won't factor more heavily into the game plan in future weeks. Of Woods' 24 routes, 23 of them were run from the slot according to PFF (subscription required). That leaves the perimeter for someone else—most likely, either Williams or Marquise Goodwin.

The Bills have been working Woods into the lineup as a slot receiver since the preseason.

"Outside and inside, trying to make plays and that shows with the coaches when they put me in" Woods said on WGR 550 Buffalo during the preseason. "I really haven’t been in the same spot in one continuous game. I’ve just been moving around, trying to get mismatches with the defense and see where they can use me and where I fit best."

Wherever that ends up being, Woods has the talent to make plays all over the field.

Credit: NFL Game Rewind

He lined up in the slot on this reception with nine minutes and 47 remaining in the first quarter and ran a wheel route down the right sideline.

Bears cornerback Tim Jennings followed him downfield, but Woods did an exceptional job of not only positioning himself between the defender and the ball while tracking the pass in flight over his shoulder (first frame), but also of high-pointing the pass when it arrived while contorting his body to come down with the catch (second frame).

After all that, he still had the juice left to turn upfield and gain extra yards, turning this into a 32-yard reception.

That wasn't the only throw where Woods bailed out his quarterback with a tough catch.

Woods came down with this spectacular grab on 2nd-and-16 during the Bills' go-ahead field-goal drive in the fourth quarter. He ran a seam route on the right side from the slot, working his way through the Cover 2 zone coverage of the Bears defense.

Manuel didn't have to put this ball on the back shoulder and over Woods' head in order for it to be complete. In fact, if Manuel had put the ball a little lower, he may have made Woods' life a little easier.

Instead, Woods contorted his body in the air, turning against his downfield momentum and reaching over his head for the grab.

As he came down to the ground, he found Bears safety Chris Conte waiting to put a lick on him. Woods was able to avoid a huge hit and secured the 25-yard grab.

Manuel's downfield accuracy is not considered a strong point, so Woods' ball skills could be a huge asset as the team tries to create more big plays in the passing game.

The Bills aren't afraid to get him involved in the short game, either, as Woods had a pair of catches in the flat on crossing patterns, with Manuel faking a play action and rolling out of the pocket to deliver the pass.

Woods is a jack-of-all-trades at receiver, and the more involved the Bills can get him in their offensive game plan, the better off their passing game will be.

Unless otherwise noted, all quotes obtained via team news release.

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