The Chicago Bears dodged a $40 million-sized bullet with Coby Bryant. The recently signed safety will miss 8 to 10 weeks with a knee injury, and while it could've been much worse, he might lose the first month of the regular season.
The Bears' secondary was already thin, and they lost most of their snap leaders at the position. Losing their biggest free agent addition, even for a short time, threw a wrench into their plans for the early season.
That's why, with limited options at this point in the offseason, only one guy makes sense for the Bears as a potential pickup. Xavier Woods is still a free agent, and he's familiar with Bears DB coach Al Harris.
The Chicago Bears should consider signing Xavier Woods
As things stand now, the Bears have Cam Lewis in Bryant's place. However, Kyler Gordon is still on the Physically Unable to Perform (PUP) list, and no one knows when he'll be back or whether he'll be able to stay on the field. They don't even need Wood to be a season-long solution, but they could use someone to help get the ball rolling early in the season.
Woods would give the team a serviceable veteran who's already familiar with Harris' coaching. They were together with the Dallas Cowboys years ago, and that should help him get a jump-start on the defensive scheme. Time is of the essence at this point, so that gives him an obvious edge over other potential options.
Admittedly, Woods isn't the most appealing player at this point in his career. He's 30 and is coming off an injury-riddled and disappointing season with the Tennessee Titans. He made 11 appearances (10 starts) and logged 39 tackles, three passes defensed, two interceptions, and one sack.
That said, he might only need a change of scenery and some time to heal to be back at his best. He was coming off a career-best season in his final year with the Carolina Panthers, logging a whopping 119 tackles, three picks, and one sack.
Beggars can't be choosers, and the harsh truth is that the Bears don't have many options right now, and their financial situation doesn't help. They only have $8.1 million in available cap space, per Over The Cap, and with a projected market value of just $4.9 million a year, Woods might even be willing to take a pay cut to get another shot in the league, more so with his former DB coach.
Dennis Allen's secondary was already thin. With all the uncertainty surrounding Kyler Gordon, Elijah Hicks also dealing with an injury, and Bryant out for the time being, Woods looks like their best option for a placeholder for the first stretch of the season.
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