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Buffalo Bills: Would Using Franchise Tag On Robert Woods Make Sense?

By Michael Hudson

Oct 16, 2016; Orchard Park, NY, USA; Buffalo Bills wide receiver Robert Woods (10) catches a ball in the end zone for a touchdown during the second half against the San Francisco 49ers at New Era Field. Buffalo beat San Francisco 45-16. Mandatory Credit: Timothy T. Ludwig-USA TODAY Sports
Oct 16, 2016; Orchard Park, NY, USA; Buffalo Bills wide receiver Robert Woods (10) catches a ball in the end zone for a touchdown during the second half against the San Francisco 49ers at New Era Field. Buffalo beat San Francisco 45-16. Mandatory Credit: Timothy T. Ludwig-USA TODAY Sports /
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With the deadline to do so looming, should the Buffalo Bills use the franchise tag on Robert Woods?

One of the lone bright spots for the Buffalo Bills last season was wide receiver Robert Woods. The fourth-year pro out of USC produced one his best seasons with the Bills in 2016 and he proved to be arguably their most dependable—and durable—target in the passing game.

Now that Woods is slated to hit free agency in the coming days, the Bills are faced with an interesting conundrum of whether or not to franchise the versatile wide out. While Woods certainly doesn’t posses the resume of a top-level wide receiver, his dependability and team-first approach is something that the Bills desperately need moving into the future.

He also figures to get paid quite handsomely should he leave, and the Bills, outside of Sammy Watkins, are thin at the receiver position. For this reason, Pro Football Focus’s William Moy said in his Bills free agency preview that Woods “makes the most sense to retain.” He continued:

"Outside of Sammy Watkins, the Bills cupboards are completely bare at the wide receiver position and Woods just posted his best season as a pro, earning a 73.2 overall grade (ranked 59 out of 115 qualified WRs) while posting a career-high 1.73 yards per route run (previous high was 1.25 in 2015)."

Franchising Woods would be expensive, as he would be eligible for a $14.6 million payday based on the current franchise situation for wide receivers. The Bills only have $20 million in workable cap as it stands right now, which is 26th in the NFL.

But a franchise tag on Woods could open the door for a cap friendly deal, which is exactly what the Bills need in order to address their deficiencies elsewhere, especially on the defensive side of the ball.

Next: Adrian Peterson: 5 Best Landing Spots in Free Agency

In any event, the Bills needs to make a decision on Woods soon. His multi-faceted skill set is an attractive buying point for many competitors, and the Bills already lost out on one of their previously dual-talent wide outs, Chris Hogan, to their chief rival New England Patriots last season. If they want to avoid another similar situation with Woods, they’d be smart to make a decision quickly. Free agency awaits.

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