The Tennessee Titans add an eight-year veteran to their secondary
The Tennessee Titans are signing veteran safety Xavier Woods to a two-year contract worth $10 million. It was first reported on social media by Adam Schefter. Woods immediately steps into a starting role at a position of need opposite Amani Hooker.
Durability has been a theme for Mike Borgonzi in his first offseason as general manager. In signing offensive tackle Dan Moore, he got an offensive tackle who’s been healthy to play more than 4,000 snaps in four seasons. Woods follows a similar theme. Woods played a league-leading (offense or defense) 1,218 snaps for the Carolina Panthers last season. He appeared in all 17 games and played every snap for defensive coordinator Ejiro Evero.
It wasn’t a fluke. It marked the second consecutive campaign Woods played 100 percent of defensive snaps. Woods has played 91 percent-or-greater of all defensive snaps in seven straight seasons. It’s borderline unheard of.
Woods totaled a career-high 119 tackles last season. He’ll complement Hooker well as a near-the-line-of-scrimmage safety, with Hooker roaming the secondary as a ball-hawking safety. Woods added three interceptions and six pass breakups to his defensive totals in 2024, but did allow five touchdowns in coverage, according to Pro Football Focus.
Woods initially entered the league as a sixth-round selection of the Dallas Cowboys in the 2017 NFL Draft. He signed a three-year contract with the Panthers three offseasons ago. He played out the entire duration of that contract in Carolina, surviving regime changes. He previously endured a one-year stint with the Minnesota Vikings.
Borgonzi no longer needs to utilize a premium draft-pick at safety. Hooker and Woods are the 2025 starters. On Tuesday, the Titans also re-signed safety Mike Brown to be Dennard Wilson’s third safety, and a special teams contributor.
The Titans’ other free-agent signing on Tuesday was veteran punter Johnny Hekker. In other news, punter Ryan Stonehouse and linebacker Jack Gibbens will depart in free agency, and Nick Westbrook-Ikhine signed an extremely cheap contract with the Miami Dolphins.