PITTSBURGH --Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Robert Woods loves to call himself and his play style ‘grimy’, which is something wide receivers coach Zach Azzanni has seen manifest itself in his game.
However, Woods would like to channel one specific Steelers wide receiver of the past when people watch him -- Hines Ward.
Ward was known for his blocking prowess and physicality, which Ward had as a hallmark of his game.
“A little bit of Hines,” Woods said. “A little bit of Hines in there.”
Woods says that not only is he grimy, but the entire wide receiver room is taking on that mentality into their roles. As Woods says, a lot of defensive plays are ‘fake tough guys,’ and by playing with physicality, offenses can move the needle.
“We’re going to be physical in our (position) room. We’re going to be grimy,” Woods said. “We’re going to be fighting to the end of the whistle, and just playing (hard) without the football, I think, is the biggest thing in our room.”
Woods, 33, spent the last two seasons with theHouston Texans. He had 20 receptions for 203 yards in 2024 under Bobby Slowik.
Woods is a 6-foot, 193-pound wide receiver who has played in the NFL for over 12 seasons. His most prolific years in the NFL were with the Los Angeles Rams in Sean McVay’s offense, where he was used as a condensed wide receiver who would block and make plays over the middle of the field.
In 2018 and 2019, he had back-to-back 1000-yard seasons. He won a Super Bowl with the Rams during his tenure there before heading to the Tennessee Titans for one season in 2022.
Woods started his career with the Buffalo Bills from 2013 to 2017. He was a second-round pick of USC in the 2013 NFL Draft.
He has 683 receptions for 8076 yards and 38 touchdowns over his entire career. The Steelers will utilize him as a blocking specialist, and he will serve as a direct replacement for the snaps Van Jefferson had last year.