Rams Add Kliff Kingsbury, Robert Woods To Staff; Aubrey Pleasant Not Returning
Kliff Kingsbury agreed to join the Rams’ coaching staff on Feb. 6, but his specific role was not publicized for over two weeks. The Rams announced Monday that Kingsbury will work as an assistant head coach.
Kingsbury is officially returning to Southern California three years after serving as an offensive analyst at USC. After coaching star quarterback Caleb Williams that year, the former Cardinals head coach returned to the NFL as the Commanders’ offensive coordinator in 2024.
The Bears chose Williams first overall in the 2024 draft. Kingsbury wound up helping the No. 2 pick, Jayden Daniels, to an otherworldly rookie campaign. Not only did the dual-threat signal-caller earn Offensive Rookie of the Year honors, but he guided the Commanders to the NFC title game. Philadelphia steamrolled Washington that day, 55-23, and the Commanders did not bounce back last season.
With Daniels and No. 1 wide receiver Terry McLaurin battling injuries that cost them a combined 17 games, the Commanders’ offense plummeted from fifth in scoring to 22nd in the matter of a year. The team reversed its record from 12-5 to 5-12, and Kingsbury reportedly clashed with Commanders general manager Adam Peters and head coach Dan Quinn along the way.
Kingsbury and the Commanders went their separate ways Jan. 6, but he drew plenty of interest in the month before he agreed to partner up with McVay. The 46-year-old interviewed for head coaching vacancies in Baltimore and Tennessee. He also talked to those two teams and the Giants about their offensive coordinator openings.
Brian Johnson, Kingsbury’s colleague in Washington, will rejoin him on Los Angeles’ staff. After two years as the Commanders’ assistant head coach/offensive pass-game coordinator, he’ll serve as a senior offensive assistant.
The Rams’ offensive staff will also include one of their former wide receivers, Robert Woods. A highly successful Ram from 2017-21, Woods retired from playing on Feb. 17. The 33-year-old will now reunite with McVay, who’s bringing Woods aboard as an assistant WRs coach.
McVay also hired former Rams offensive lineman Brian Allen, one of Woods’ old teammates, as an assistant OL coach. The 30-year-old Allen played his entire career as a member of the Rams, with whom he started in 32 of 50 games from 2018-23. He was the Rams’ No. 1 center on their Super Bowl-winning 2021 team.
In other adjustments to his offensive staff, McVay promoted WRs coach Eric Yarber to senior offensive assistant/WRs and upgraded Rob Calabrese from offensive assistant to WRs coach. Jimmy Lake will move from senior defensive assistant to pass-game coordinator/defensive backs coach, while Michael Hunter will come in as an assistant DBs coach. Hunter held that job at Ohio State over the past two seasons.
Lake’s promotion suggests the Rams will not retain Aubrey Pleasant, who is no longer listed among their coaches. It’s unclear why the sides appear to have parted ways.
Pleasant first worked for McVay as the Rams’ cornerbacks coach from 2017-20. After dividing the next two seasons between Detroit and Green Bay, he returned to the Rams as their pass-game coordinator/DBs coach in 2023. He continued to handle the PGC role from 2024-25, but McVay also bumped him to assistant head coach.
Pleasant landed D-coordinator interviews with the Cardinals, Browns, Raiders and Chargers earlier this winter. Those teams hired different candidates instead, but perhaps he’ll take an assistant position with one of them or some other club.
Robert Woods Announces Retirement
Veteran wide receiver Robert Woods announced his retirement on Instagram on Tuesday (via Adam Schefter of ESPN). The 33-year-old signed a one-day contract to retire as a member of the Rams.
A former USC Trojan, Woods entered the NFL as Buffalo’s second-round pick in 2013. He ended up spending four years as a member of the Bills, with whom he caught 203 passes for 2,451 yards and 12 touchdowns.
The California native parlayed his solid production as a Bill into a five-year, $39MM deal with the Rams in 2017. The move worked out beautifully for both parties.
Joining the Rams in Sean McVay‘s first season as their head coach, Woods racked up 56 catches for 781 yards (then a career high) and five touchdowns. Woods went on to post his three best seasons after that. He finished with between 86 to 90 receptions in each year and surpassed the 1,100-yard mark twice, including a personal-high 1,219 in 2018.
Woods’ career began going downhill when he suffered an ACL tear in practice in November 2021. The injury limited Woods to nine games and held him out for the Rams’ Super Bowl-winning playoff run.
In March 2022, several weeks after the Rams hoisted the Lombardi Trophy, they traded Woods to the Titans for a sixth-round pick. Woods played his lone 17-game season that year, but after he put up 53 catches, 527 yards and two TDs, the Titans released him.
In the wake of his Titans breakup, Woods landed a two-year deal with the AFC South rival Texans. He saw the pact through and played in 29 games, though Woods only combined for 60 catches, 629 yards and one score.
Woods stayed in the AFC when he inked a one-year, $2MM contract with the Steelers last offseason, but he didn’t crack their roster. The Steelers released Woods in late August, and he didn’t sign elsewhere all season. He’ll now wrap up an impressive 12-year career that included 683 catches, 8,233 yards and 38 TDs over 171 games.
NFL Practice Squad Updates: 9/2/25
Here are Tuesday’s practice squad moves:
Arizona Cardinals
- Signed: LB Jared Bartlett, DT Denzel Daxon
- Released: T Roy Mbaeteka
Atlanta Falcons
- Signed: DT Simeon Barrow Jr., OLB Ronnie Perkins
- Released: T Brandon Parker
Denver Broncos
- Signed: WR Thayer Thomas
- Released: CB Quinton Newsome
New England Patriots
- Released: DT Jahvaree Ritzie
New Orleans Saints
- Signed: LB Eku Leota
Pittsburgh Steelers
- Released: WR Robert Woods
Seattle Seahawks
- Signed: DT Anthony Campbell, DE Jalan Gaines, G Sataoa Laumea
- Released: CB Shemar Jean-Charles, T Amari Kight, RB Damien Martinez
Washington Commanders
- Signed: G Darrian Dalcourt
The 12-year veteran wide receiver, Woods, had been signed to the Steelers’ practice squad after failing to make the 53-man roster. Per ESPN’s Brooke Pryor, Woods requested to be released from his practice squad contract but told Pittsburgh that he would be open to returning if a spot on the active roster opened up for him. The team granted his request.
The Cardinals are able to add two players while only releasing one because Daxon is part of the NFL’s International Player Pathway Program, having been born in the Bahamas. Teams can have one more than the 16-player limit for their practice squad, as long as the 17th players is in the IPPP.
Per Brady Henderson of ESPN, it’s believed that the Seahawks have made this transaction as a courtesy to Campbell, Gaines, and Laumea, who’ve all spent most of the offseason in Seattle with the team. This week on the practice squad will potentially get each player a minimum check for $13K, but the Seahawks are expected to bring Martinez and Jean-Charles back to the p-squad. The same has yet to be confirmed for Kight.
Wednesday NFL Transactions: AFC North
Following the 53-man roster cutdown deadline Tuesday, many teams will make slight tweaks to their rosters. In addition to waiver claims, teams can begin constructing their 16-man practice squads today. These Bengals, Browns, Ravens and Steelers moves are noted below.
Baltimore Ravens
Signed to practice squad:
- T Gerad Christian-Lichtenhan, DB Thomas Graham, OLB Malik Hamm, QB Tyler Huntley, DB Keondre Jackson, RB D’Ernest Johnson, WR Keith Kirkwood, ILB Chandler Martin, WR Anthony Miller, TE Zaire Mitchell-Paden, DT C.J. Okoye, G Jared Penning, DB Marquise Robinson, DE Kaimon Rucker, C Nick Samac, RB Lucas Scott, DL Brent Urban
Cincinnati Bengals
Signed to practice squad:
- RB Gary Brightwell, T Devin Cochran, T Andrew Coker, CB Jalen Davis, LB Joe Giles-Harris, G Jaxson Kirkland, CB Bralyn Lux, C Seth McLaughlin, RB Kendall Milton, WR Jordan Moore, LB Maema Njongmeta, DE Isaiah Thomas, WR Isaiah Williams, S Russ Yeast
Reverted to IR:
-
T Caleb Etienne, TE Tanner McLachlan, G Cordell Volson
Cleveland Browns
Claimed:
- CB Jarrick Bernard-Converse (from Jets), RB Raheim Sanders (from Chargers)
Waived:
- TE Brenden Bates, CB Dom Jones
Signed to practice squad:
- TE Sal Cannella, WR Kaden Davis, S Christopher Edmonds, DT Ralph Holley, CB LaMareon James, DT Sam Kamara, RB Ahmani Marshall, DE Julian Okwara, RB Trayveon Williams, QB Bailey Zappe
Pittsburgh Steelers
Signed to practice squad:
- DL Kyler Baugh, CB Beanie Bishop, DB Sebastian Castro, OL Dylan Cook, TE JJ Galbreath, WR Max Hurleman, DB D’Shawn Jamison, OL Steven Jones, DL DeMarvin Leal, RB Lew Nichols, CB James Pierre, DB Daryl Porter, RB Trey Sermon, LB Julius Welschof, WR Ke’Shawn Williams, WR Robert Woods
Steelers Cut 13 Players, Set Initial 53-Man Roster
After slowly reducing their roster count over the past week, the Steelers officially got to their 53-player limit this afternoon. The Steelers announced the following transactions:
Released:
- DB Chuck Clark
- DB James Pierre
- OL Max Scharping
- RB Trey Sermon
- WR Robert Woods
Waived:
- DB Beanie Bishop
- DB Sebastian Castro
- OL Dylan Cook
- DL DeMarvin Leal
- LB Eku Leota
- WR Ke’Shawn Williams
Waived/injured:
Placed on IR (designated for return):
- DB Cory Trice
The Steelers made a pair of relatively surprising cuts on defense. Beanie Bishop joined the Steelers as a UDFA last year and ended up getting into all 17 games (six starts), compiling 45 tackles, four interceptions, and seven passes defended. If he doesn’t get scooped up by another team, there’s a good chance he lands back on Pittsburgh’s practice squad. The same goes for DeMarvin Leal, who appeared in 28 games for the Steelers since being selected in the third round of the 2022 draft.
On offense, the team terminated the contracts of two notable veterans. Robert Woods was looking to revive his career following two quiet seasons in Houston. The former Rams standout hit new lows in 2024, finishing with career-lows in receptions (20) and receiving yards (203). The team also moved on from former 49ers draft pick Trey Sermon. The running back spent the past two seasons with the Colts, where he collected 431 yards from scrimmage in 31 games.
Steelers To Release WR Robert Woods
As expected, Robert Woods is heading to free agency. The veteran wideout is among the Steelers’ Tuesday roster cuts, NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reports. 
Last week, it became clear Woods was a candidate to be released. The 33-year-old has found himself buried on the WR depth chart in spite of persistent questions about Pittsburgh’s secondary options at the position. Per Rapoport, a return on the practice squad could be possible in this case.
In any event, Woods intends to continue his career in 2025. A veteran of 12 NFL seasons, he his far removed from his peak Rams seasons. The former second-rounder has seen his production drop for each of the past six campaigns, and he made just 20 scoreless catches last year with the Texans. His Pittsburgh pact came about as part of Woods’ efforts to earn a depth spot on his latest team.
That $2MM contract contained $745K guaranteed, so the Steelers will absorb that figure as a dead money charge. The team will create $1.26MM in cap savings, however. It will be interesting to see if that slight uptick in available funds will be put toward an addition at the receiver spot ahead of Week 1. Calvin Austin and Roman Wilson have been preparing for increased roles as complements to D.K. Metcalf this summer, but Pittsburgh has shown sustained interest in free agent Gabriel Davis.
A report from yesterday indicated the Steelers were among the teams still active in the WR trade market. Woods’ release should not notably alter the team’s plans on that front, so once the dust settles following final roster cuts Pittsburgh could still seek out a new pass-catching option.
Beanie Bishop, Robert Woods On Steelers’ Roster Bubble
Last season, the Steelers turned to a rookie UDFA as their primary slot cornerback. After some notable additions this offseason, Beanie Bishop is not expected to start again. He is also no longer assured of a roster spot.
Steelers DC Teryl Austin said (via the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review’s Chris Adamski) Bishop needs a standout finish to the preseason to “put himself back in the picture.” Being cut before Year 2 would be a quick fall for Bishop, who logged 548 defensive snaps as a rookie.
While Bishop lost his status as a defensive regular during the season’s final month, he logged at least 20 defensive snaps in 13 of Pittsburgh’s 17 games in 2024. Bishop intercepted four passes and broke up seven more as a rookie; Pro Football Focus graded him in the bottom half at the position, ranking the 5-foot-9 cover man 95th at the position.
The Steelers made a blockbuster trade for Jalen Ramsey, unloading Minkah Fitzpatrick to acquire the versatile cover man. They had already added Darius Slay and Brandin Echols. The latter has spent most of his career on the boundary but did log 112 slot snaps in 2023. Ramsey has been one of this era’s top perimeter corners, but he has garnered increased slot usage over the past five years. Ramsey has played at least 169 slot snaps in four of the past five seasons, being regularly used at the Rams’ “star” position. A configuration in which Ramsey plays inside while Slay and Joey Porter Jr. work near the boundary makes sense for the Steelers.
Bishop has primarily lined up with the Steelers’ second-team defense during training camp, Adamski adds. Seventh-round pick Donte Kent also factors into the Steelers’ Bishop decision, with the competition for spots fiercer than it was at this time last year — when Cameron Sutton was facing an eight-game suspension to open the season.
The team also has some decisions to make at wide receiver. The Steelers have faced consistent questions about their post-George Pickens plan opposite D.K. Metcalf, but they have hosted Gabe Davis on two visits now — the second coming today. The team also has Roman Wilson back after a lost rookie season, and The Athletic’s Mike DeFabo notes Scotty Miller — an Arthur Smith charge in Atlanta — has been one of Aaron Rodgers‘ favorite targets during camp. These developments move Robert Woods toward Pittsburgh’s roster bubble, DeFabo adds.
Despite Woods’ accomplishments during a 12-year career, he played deep into the fourth quarter in the Steelers’ second preseason game. The Steelers gave Woods (20 catches, 203 yards last season) a one-year, $2MM deal but only guaranteed him $745K, lessening the dead money blow in the event he is cut by the August 26 deadline.
Calvin Austin is set to reprise his role as a starter, while the team also has Ben Skowronek rostered. Woods, 33, could become a practice squad stash, but it may not be a lock the former Bills, Rams, Titans and Texans wideout plays a 13th season. Conversely, DeFabo adds it would surprise if Miller (five receptions, 69 yards in 2024) did not make the roster.
Steelers To Sign Veteran WR Robert Woods
The Steelers are signing wide receiver Robert Woods to a one-year, $2MM deal, per NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, adding some veteran depth to the team’s pass-catching corps.
Woods recently celebrated his 33rd birthday and is entering his 13th NFL season. He is an experienced receiver with 145 career starts and 48.1 yards per game in his career. However, he has not been the same player since suffering a torn ACL during the 2021 season. He averaged 4.6 receptions and 56.6 yards per game before the injury and just 2.5 receptions and 25.1 yards per game in three seasons since.
However, Woods’ special teams’ prowess, toughness as a run-blocker, and versatility to play on the outside or in the slot helped him maintain a role in Tennessee in 2022 and Houston in the past two seasons. Those traits likely endeared him to the Steelers, a run-heavy team that has long appreciated tough wideouts who will mix it up as blockers when lined up in the slot. The Steelers re-signed Ben Skowronek, who has a similar profile, to a two-year deal earlier this offseason. Woods will join Skowronek, D.K. Metcalf, George Pickens, Calvin Austin, and Scotty Miller in Pittsburgh’s receiver room this season.
Woods expressed interest in re-signing with the Texans after the 2024 season ended, but Houston opted to sign Christian Kirk, Braxton Berrios, and Justin Watson before using two Day 2 draft picks on Iowa State wideouts Jayden Higgins and Jaylin Noel. That left Woods as one of several veteran wideouts to remain a free agent through the league’s major signing period. Pittsburgh came calling after the draft, albeit for the lowest single-season compensation in Woods’ career.
Robert Woods Wants To Re-Sign With Texans
Robert Woods has spent the past two seasons in Houston, seeing his usage rate drop compared to earlier in his career along the way. The pending free agent receiver is not looking for a change of scenery this spring, however.
“Feeling good, kind of getting ready to revamp and go another year again,” Woods said when providing an update on his health and speaking about his future (via KPRC2’s Aaron Wilson). “I had a great time here in Houston, loved being with C.J. [Stroud], a great quarterback, loved our receiver room, our coaches. We’ll see how it goes in free agency.
“You know how free agency is. Whatever is best for me and my family and my football career. If that’s in Houston, however it goes, we’ll look to that.”
Woods’ best campaigns came during his five year run with the Rams (2017-21). That span included the two times the former second-rounder surpassed 1,000 yards, but it ended with a campaign in which he was limited to only nine games. Woods was traded to the Titans during the 2022 offseason, although after one year in Tennessee he was released; that allowed him to join the Texans on a two-year, $15.25MM deal.
Operating as an experienced depth contributor in Houston, the USC product totaled 629 yards and just one touchdown while playing out that pact. Woods logged a 70% snap share in 2023, but this past season he saw his playing time plummet to 37%. Considering Stefon Diggs and, later, Tank Dell suffered ACL tears in 2024, that usage rate is an indication the Texans will not match Woods’ desire to work out a new deal this offseason.
General manager Nick Caserio recently said he is open to re-signing Diggs, while Dell and Nico Collins are on the books for next season and beyond. The team also has the likes of John Metchie, Xavier Hutchinson and Jared Wayne attached to their rookie contracts, so Woods may very well have to look elsewhere if he reaches free agency. Approaching his age-33 season, Woods will not have a strong market in that event, but his remarks make it clear he intends to keep playing in 2025.
Latest On Texans’ WR Corps
The Texans’ wide receiving corps was among the league’s worst last season, finishing 26th in combined receptions, 28th in receiving yards, and 28th in receiving touchdowns. Things aren’t looking any easier as the team’s top receivers from 2022, Brandin Cooks and Chris Moore, will find themselves in different uniforms next season. Still, according to DJ Bien-Aime of ESPN, new head coach DeMeco Ryans appears to be fairly comfortable with how the position is currently lined up.
With veteran leader Cooks just up north in Dallas, Houston will be looking for a former division rival to lead their young group. Playing in another room bereft of star talent last year, Robert Woods looked like a shell of his former self in Nashville. Part of that may have had more to do with the scheme and personnel around him, as he still led the Titans in both receptions and receiving yards, but in 17 games, Woods failed to surpass his total from his final year in Los Angeles, when his season ended after only nine games. Still, Woods is not far removed from some of the best football of his career. Just two years ago, a torn ACL prevented Woods from extending a streak of three consecutive seasons with over 900 receiving yards. From 2018-2020, Woods was dominant with the Rams combining for 3,289 receiving yards and 14 receiving touchdowns, even adding 427 yards and four more scores on the ground.
After the experience of Woods, the Texans will rely on the familiarity of third-year wideout Nico Collins. Collins was fourth on the team in receiving last year behind Cooks, Moore, and tight end Jordan Akins despite putting up similar numbers that had him ranked second on the team as a rookie the year prior. The team hopes he can progress past those numbers in Year 3. He doesn’t need to suddenly become a No. 1 receiver with Woods in town, but Houston will want him to surpass his careers-highs last year of 37 receptions, 481 yards, and two touchdowns.
Rounding out the potential starting three is last year’s second-round pick John Metchie III. Metchie is still waiting to make his NFL debut after sitting out his rookie year after being diagnosed with acute promyelocytic leukemia. The young receiver is now over a year and a half removed from his last meaningful snap of football and has worked his way back from a torn ACL, leukemia, and now a hamstring strain in order to play in the NFL.
Beyond those three, the team’s depth fades quickly. Former Cowboys receiver Noah Brown joins the group after a breakout year in Dallas. Brown performed as a No. 2 receiver for Dallas last year, gaining career-highs in receptions (43), receiving yards (555), and touchdowns (3), after combining for 39 catches for 425 yards and no touchdowns in the four years prior.
After Brown, the team’s depth is unproven. Amari Rodgers returns after starting one game in six appearances last year. Two rookies join him as depth pieces in the receivers room. Nathaniel Dell was drafted in the third-round out of Houston. Dell was dominant for the Cougars as an undersized wide receiver, catching a combined 199 passes for 2,727 yards and 29 touchdowns in his final two collegiate seasons. In the sixth-round, the team added Iowa State’s Xavier Hutchinson, who delivered strong performances in all three years as a Cyclone before bringing his best football last year.
“I’m not concerned with where we are with our wide receivers,” Ryans claimed. “I like our group. I like where we are. We have a lot of talented guys and have a lot of different qualities.”
He’s certainly not wrong there. Collins provides the team with a big, 6-foot-4 body and strong hands. Brown and Hutchinson also bring the group ideal body-types for a wide receiver. Woods and Metchie both sit around six-foot and bring completely different playing styles to the offense. Finally, Dell and Rodgers bring explosiveness in smaller packages.
Ryans can certainly back up his claim of confidence in covering the gamut of receiver-types, but experience remains a concern. On paper, the Texans’ wide receiving corps is ready to provide rookie quarterback C.J. Stroud with an assortment of weapons. In reality, the team will need young players to step up into big roles quickly in 2023 if they’re going to prove wrong position rankings from ESPN’s Bill Barnwell and Pro Football Focus’s Trevor Sikkema, both of whom have the team’s group ranked last in the league.