Should the Philadelphia Eagles sign this veteran defender in free agency?
The Philadelphia Eagles are considered a landing spot for a veteran defender.
NFL analyst Gary Davenport of Bleacher Report thinks the Eagles should take a look at SS Xavier Woods.
"There isn't a lot left on the veteran market at safety—a mixture of aging veterans like Harrison Smith and second-tier options like Ifeatu Melifonwu and Ashtyn Davis," Davenport wrote. "Xavier Woods kind of splits the middle between the two camps.
"To be fair, the 30-year-old's lone season with the Tennessee Titans in 2025 was a disappointment—he missed six games and had a career-low 39 total tackles. But just two years ago with the Carolina Panthers, he set a career high with 119 total tackles and tied a career best with three interceptions. The season before that, his passer rating against was an outstanding 65.4. There's no guarantee Woods will be able to recapture that form, but he's an inexpensive player with 121 career starts who can play both safety spots."
The Eagles lost Reed Blankenship in free agency to the Houston Texans and traded Sydney Brown to the Atlanta Falcons. Woods isn't a star, but he's a solid veteran who could be a good fit in Vic Fangio's defense.
Woods played for the Tennessee Titans last season. He appeared in 11 games and finished with two interceptions, three passes defended, one sack and 23 solo tackles.
Woods has been in the NFL since 2017. He has played for the Dallas Cowboys, Minnesota Vikings, Carolina Panthers and Titans. The 30-year-old has 15 career interceptions.
The Eagles went 11-6 in the regular season. They won the NFC East again but lost to the San Francisco 49ers in the wild-card round of the 2026 NFL playoffs.
The good news for the Eagles? Fangio isn't going anywhere. There were rumors that Fangio would retire this offseason, but he's coming back for 2026.
Philadelphia's defense finished fifth in the NFL in scoring defense last season, giving up only 19.1 points per game. The Eagles' 56.8% completion percentage allowed led the league, while their 75.4 passer rating ranked second.
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