Tuesday included a flood of NFL roster cuts around the league as teams were forced to reach compliance with their initial 53-man rosters. One well-known player who did not make the cut for the Pittsburgh Steelers was long-time wide receiver Robert Woods.
Just hours before the roster deadline, NFL Network insider Ian Rapoport reported that the Steelers are releasing Woods, though he still plans to play football in 2025.
Woods is 33 years old and entering his 13th NFL season. Though it's possible he still has something left to offer an NFL team, Pittsburgh finally learned from its recent mistakes and sent Woods packing, despite his reputation as a former 1,000-yard receiver with the LA Rams.
The Pittsburgh Steelers finally broke bad habits by releasing Robert Woods
In recent years, the Pittsburgh Steelers have kept a washed-up veteran on their roster despite the lack of juice and a recent quality sample of play. Omar Khan traded with the Rams in 2023 for Allen Robinson II based on name value, and the veteran went on to catch 34 passes for 280 yards and zero touchdowns in 17 games.
Then last year, the Steelers signed a former Arthur Smith receiver, Van Jefferson, despite the fact that he was coming off a forgettable 2023 campaign—earning just 101 yards in 12 games with the Falcons. On the Steelers last year, Jefferson played all 17 games, but caught just 24 passes for 276 yards and two touchdowns on 12 starts.
But the Steelers still didn't learn their lesson.
Just before the 2024 trade deadline, Pittsburgh sent a sixth-round pick to the New York Jets for wide receiver Mike Williams. However, in nine games with the Steelers, Williams recorded just nine receptions for 132 yards and a touchdown.
Now the team has finally learned its lesson. Instead of keeping Robert Woods on the roster because of his veteran leadership and what he's done in the past, the Steelers moved on from Woods for younger, fresher talent after he tumbled down the depth chart during training camp.
The decision to release Woods could mean that the Steelers are content keeping Scotty Miller as one of their final receivers, or it could mean that they will be scouring the waiver wire looking for an upgrade.
Either way, this was a necessary decision to avoid the mistakes of the past. There was no place for Robert Woods on the roster, and the Steelers realized that fact.