Who is Josh Woods? At present, he is just another reserve Chicago Bears defender to most casual fans. Not a surprise since he’s playing behind Danny Trevathan and Roquan Smith. Devoting attention to him seems kind of pointless. Yet there has been a persistent undercurrent of buzz that has continued to follow him around since last year.
So it’s time to ask the question. Who is this kid? Woods comes from the University of Maryland. The college has actually started producing some quality players in recent years. Chiefs among them are star Jacksonville pass rusher Yannick Ngakoue and star Minnesota wide receiver Stefon Diggs. They also just produced 1st round safety Darnell Savage to Green Bay.
It is clear this program has become a lot better at producing NFL talent. That is what makes Woods interesting. He was a late-bloomer in college. He didn’t become a starter until his junior year but suffered through some injury setbacks. That is part of why he went undrafted in 2018. It hasn’t stopped him from having the attention of the Bears’ coaches.
Josh Woods isn’t just another camp body to the Bears
Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune was asked about the “questionable” depth at linebacker during his weekly mailbag. He argued that no such issue exists. When the top of the inside position came up, he singled out Woods as somebody to keep an eye on.
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“At inside linebacker, Nick Kwiatkoski and Joel Iyiegbuniwe are behind starters Danny Trevathan and Roquan Smith. Josh Woods is another reserve to keep an eye on. He impressed the team last year as a rookie on the practice field. I don’t see depth issues at these positions.”
Woods was quite productive in his senior year of college. He made 62 tackles, snagged two interceptions, and forced a fumble. All of this in 10 games. This as a safety keep in mind. For him to make the transition to linebacker and still earn an invitation to Bears training camp is impressive. A sign of his athletic potential.
He even made five tackles in the two games he got a chance to play during the preseason last year. On top of that, he had two special teams tackles. This kid is a football player and it seems his confidence is growing. This might be one of those unexpected names who crack the final 53 in August.
