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How the Chicago Bears Could Have Found This Year's Nahshon Wright

Coaching staff familiarity is just one of several reasons Xavier Woods looks like he will be a good fit for this Bears defense compared to other DBs in the market.
Gene Chamberlain|
Xavier Woods tries to haul down Patriots running back Rhamondre Stevenson last year.
Xavier Woods tries to haul down Patriots running back Rhamondre Stevenson last year. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

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Chicago Bears

Signing safety Xavier Woods or someone like him seemed inevitable for the Bears once they incurred so many injuries in training camp to the secondary.

It became more than a necessity, especially after one of the injuries was key safety acquisition Coby Bryant, and it's not necessarily improving their team but simply plugging up a hole before the vessel takes on too much water to remain afloat.

Woods, a former standout in the Dallas secondary, has become just a veteran NFL journeyman, with a year in Minnesota, three in Carolina and last year in Tennessee. He's not a high-cost player now and at 31 is looking to stay in the league.

The fit is one which can work for several reasons.

1. The familiar face

Woods will be coached with the Bears by Al Harris, his defensive backs coach in Dallas in his first four years when he was highly productive with five interceptions, three forced fumbles and two fumble recoveries.

While Woods has gone on to put up numbers with a few other teams, it was his time in Dallas he is most remembered for and Harris had a big impact on his career.

Last year, the Bears needed defensive backfield depth and they turned to a player Harris had familiarity with — cornerback Nahshon Wright. That coach-player matchup worked wonders as Wright had five interceptions, three fumble recoveries, and made the Pro Bowl in his first year as a starter before earning a free agency payday with the Jets.

Could lightning strike two straight years with Harris and a former player of his? The odds would appear much more likely with Woods. as he has 15 career interceptions, five fumble recoveries and five forced fumbles in 121 starts. What they had with Wright was a player who had proven nothing yet and was on Minnesota's practice squad a year earlier.

2. Injury and age

Woods' season ended early last year but it wasn't a serious knee injury. He suffered a December hamstring injury with the Titans and they put him on the shelf. When he was healthy in previous years he played solid football for the Panthers.

Last year's hamstring definitely is something worth considering when the Bears are suffering so many soft tissue injuries in this camp, but in other years he had no problem with this type of injury.

Beyond that, Woods is 31 now and two years younger than Kevin Byard. Last year Byard was a year older than Woods is now and managed to win All-Pro status.

3. Freeing up Dillon Thieneman

Once Bryant suffered his leg injury, the Bears were forced into putting 183-pound Cam Lewis at safety because backup Elijah Hicks is also out (shin injury). A 183-pound strong safety doesn't work, so rookie Dillon Thieneman was going to be forced into playing more strong safety. This isn't the role they intended for him and as a rookie he needs to be focusing on the role he must play rather than other potential ways he can help. That's for the future once he has proven he can play free safety.

Woods lets Thieneman develop the way the Bears want. He has played more free safety than he has strong safety--4,694 snaps at free safety to 2,135 in the box. He also has some slot versatility with 1,333 plays there. However, he has played plenty of strong safety and could far more easily move into this role than someone smaller like Lewis could. Then they could keep Thieneman where he was intended to play and use his speed best while he learns the position, scheme and league.

It's been a while but Woods was actually third best NFL safety in run defense in 2021. He still plays soldid pass with four straight seasons of passer rating against at 93.8 or better.

4. Helping in the slot position

With Woods available to fit the strong safety spot, they can not only move Thieneman back to free safety but they can have Lewis in the slot cornerback role where Kyler Gordon would normally be if healthy. Backup slot Jaylon Jones left Thursday's practice and his availability going forward isn't certain. They finished the last practice using Josh Blackwell at slot because of all of the injuries at that spot and safety.

They also have Malik Muhammad for the slot but like with Thieneman, they'd rather have a rookie concentrating on his natural position and in this case that's outside cornerback for Muhammad.

5. Help wanted, period

The Bears simply need bodies in the secondary regardless of where they play. This will be a good fit but with Dallis Flowers now going on injured reserve and with injuries to DBs Bryant, Hicks, Jaylon Jones, Terell Smith, and Gervarrius Owens the Bears need bodies in camp who can defend passes, period. They'll get this from Woods.

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Gene Chamberlain
GENE CHAMBERLAIN

Gene Chamberlain has covered the Chicago Bears full time as a beat writer since 1994 and prior to this on a part-time basis for 10 years. He covered the Bears as a beat writer for Suburban Chicago Newspapers, the Daily Southtown, Copley News Service and has been a contributor for the Daily Herald, the Associated Press, Bear Report, CBS Sports.com and The Sporting News. He also has worked a prep sports writer for Tribune Newspapers and Sun-Times newspapers.

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