Bears’ desperation move is already paying off big time as another surprise starting option emerges in the secondary
The Chicago Bears were forced into a tough position after losing starting safety Coby Bryant to a 8-10 week knee injury and moved quickly to acquire a new starting-caliber player in Xavier Woods. And he’s already made a strong impact in Chicago.
The Chicago Bears needed a quick fix at the safety position after losing starter Coby Bryant to injury and briefly losing nickel defender Cam Lewis, and the team moved fast to add a proven commodity in Xavier Woods over the weekend.
Between his time with the Dallas Cowboys, Minnesota Vikings, Carolina Panthers and Tennessee Titans, Woods totaled 121 career starts and has plenty of experience. The early returns from Bears training camp suggest the decision is already paying off in a bigger way than most might have initially thought.
Xavier Woods is already making his presence felt among the Bears’ first-team defense
Experience was the driving factor behind the signing. The Bears were positioned to roll with Bryant and Lewis alongside rookie safety Dillon Thieneman, but injuries forced general manager Ryan Poles to pivot. Woods, who has prior experience playing under Bears defensive backs coach Al Harris, gave the front office a familiar and reliable fallback option.
“He’s a veteran player, he’s played a lot of football, been in a few different schemes. He’s been a productive player,” Allen said before Sunday’s practice. “Al had him in Dallas, so there’s some familiarity there with him. And, I just think, right now, we needed another veteran piece back there in the back end, specifically at the safety position. So, I’m anxious to watch him come out here and compete and see where he falls in the line.”
A couple minutes after Allen addressed the media that day, Woods took the field with the Bears defense and made his presence known. He delivered a big hit on tight end Colston Loveland during Sunday’s practice, according to ESPN’s Courtney Cronin, and intercepted quarterback Caleb Williams on a Hail Mary-like throw during the final team period. That is exactly the kind of impact the Bears needed to see from their new addition.
“Al’s got a good beat on what he’s all about and feels like he’s going to be a good fit for us,” head coach Ben Johnson said on Hoge and Jahns. “The train keeps going and new guys will jump on. It’ll be similar to last year and every year I’ve been in this league where other guys get opportunities to step up and Xavier is going to have one now too.”
Xavier Woods has the ability to hold down the starting job until Coby Bryant returns
During Monday’s walkthrough at Stevenson High School, the Bears ran a light session with jog-throughs and limited contact. Still, it was worth noting that Woods remained with the starting defense throughout the workout. Lewis was also back participating after leaving Saturday’s session, a positive sign for a secondary that had been stretched thin.
It appears Lewis will slot back into his nickel role while Kyler Gordon is sidelined with Woods manning the second starting safety spot alongside Thieneman while Bryant works his way back. The early expectation is that Woods is capable of holding down the starting job for the first couple weeks of the regular season while Bryant recovers.
It’s a similar situation the Bears were in last year at training camp with Nahshon Wright filling in for an injured Jaylon Johnson. It’s big shoes to fill, but Harris had confidence in his former player holding down the fort. Oh and Wright went on to earn his first career Pro Bowl selection. That’s not to say Woods will be a Pro Bowler or anything, but I have full trust in this coaching staff and so far Woods is looking like a shrewd move by the Bears.
