Josh Woods was making a pretty standard textbook tackle on a second-and-one rush by Carolina Panthers running back Elijah Holyfield in the Bears’ preseason opener last week at Soldier Field. As he wrapped up Holyfield, his helmet hit the ball, it popped loose and teammate James Vaughters recovered it.
“I just saw the ball and I hit the ball and it popped out,” Woods said. “Good things happen when you do what you’re supposed to do.”
The big hit and forced fumble was more evidence that the 6-1, 204-pound Woods learns well. A converted safety from Maryland who made the practice squad as an undrafted free agent last season, Woods is out of the transition phase and thinking, reacting and playing like a linebacker.
Asked what he does better this year than he did last year, Woods quickly answered, “Everything.
“I feel a lot better just all around when it comes to playing linebacker. At this time last year, I felt like it was a whirlwind and now the game’s starting to slow down for me. I feel like everything in my game has taken a step up, because last year wasn’t good enough.”
The college safety to NFL linebacker conversion is an enticing one in today’s game and Woods’ athleticism puts him in that mold. Woods has studied tapes of Bears Hall of Famer Brian Urlacher, who set a virtually unreachable standard for the transition but is fun to watch. And he’s also studied veteran Mark Barron, who played safety in his first two seasons in the NFL with the Buccaneers, but has been a solid starter at linebacker with the Rams.
“I’ve watched tape on guys that have moved from safety. But really, I’ve just been trying to learn from Ro [Roquan Smith] and Danny [Trevathan] on how they do it. Because at the end of the day, I’ve got to play like a linebacker.”
Woods is thinking like a different player this year. Last year he remembers catching himself standing with the defensive backs on the sidelines in practice. “DBs stand behind the ball, so they can see the coverage,” Woods said. “I’m like, ‘Oh, wait, the linebackers are down here.’ I had to re-train my brain to see things differently, to move like a linebacker. So I just walk in Danny and Ro’s footsteps.”
Still, Woods’ safety experience has come in handy at linebacker. That’s why the conversion is popular. “He has a unique skillset because he’s a conversion from safety,” Bears inside linebackers coach Mark DeLeone said. “The new age — he has cover skills and those [qualities]. But he’s also getting a lot better against the run and I’m excited for the world to see that [in the preseason].”
It didn’t take long in the first preseason game for Woods to provide the evidence. Woods had five tackles against the Panthers, including one tackle-for-loss.
“Just trying to get better every day,” Woods said. “Trying to keep the mindset that it’s never good enough — because the competition is high in our room. There’s only a certain number of spots.”
There’s the rub for Woods. He’s better equipped for the position, but still in a difficult battle for a roster spot. With Smith and Trevathan starting and Nick Kwiatkoski and Joel Iyiegbuniwe behind them, Woods would have to pull a significant upset to make the 53-man roster and he figures to be battling Jameer Thurman and James Vaughters for a practice squad spot.
“I have no control over what happens,” Woods said. “All I can do is take it to the next day, learn from my mistakes, don’t get too high on good plays and just stay level-headed.”
