The Bears have signed veteran safety Xavier Woods, the team announced on Friday. As a corresponding move, they have given defensive back Dallas Flowers an injured/reserve designation.
Woods, who turned 31 in July, is entering his tenth season in the NFL. Not to be confused with the wrestler of the same name, Woods has been a starter at safety for a majority of those seasons, having started in 121 of the 134 games he’s played. He began his career as a sixth-round pick from Louisiana Tech by the Cowboys,
for whom he played four seasons.
He overlapped for one season with Bears defensive backs coach Al Harris in Dallas, who was his defensive backs coach in 2020. After his rookie deal expired after the 2020 season, he bounced around the league for a bit, having stints with the Vikings, Panthers, and Titans.
In his 2025 season with the Titans, Woods ended the year with 39 tackles, two interceptions, three pass deflections, and a sack. He played in 11 games for Tennessee, starting in ten of them. His 75.9 PFN Safety Impact Score ranked No. 42 among 85 qualified safeties, generally placing him as an average starting option. Notable safeties he ended the year with a higher score than include Budda Baker, Malaki Starks, Jaquan Brisker, and Javon Bullard.
The Bears’ decision to sign Woods makes sense, given the recent injury that Coby Bryant suffered. He’s anticipated to miss the first few weeks of the regular season with a hyperextended knee, bone bruise, and small fracture. It’s worth noting that Elijah Hicks, who has been on Chicago’s active roster each of the last four seasons, is also currently on the PUP list with a shin injury.
Woods figures to compete with Cam Lewis for a starting safety spot alongside Dillon Thieneman while Bryant recovers. Once Bryant returns, Woods could still serve as a valuable backup with the versatility that Bears defensive coordinator Dennis Allen likes in his safeties; he took 27.3% of his defensive snaps in the box in 2025, as well as 14.9% in the slot.
