Seahawks 90-Man Roster Primer: Al Woods

Following a year-long hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Woods hopes his third stint with the Seahawks will be as successful as his last one as he aims to provide a reliable rotational run stuffer in the trenches. What does the 34-year old have left in the tank?

Corbin K. Smith | Jun 27, 2021

With the calendar flipping to June and offseason programs recently wrapping up, NFL training camps will begin around the league in less than two months. To celebrate the new incoming season, we will be breaking down the Seahawks' 90-man roster over the next several weeks, exploring best and worst case scenarios and what to expect from each player entering the 2021 campaign.

Al Woods, Defensive Tackle

Height/Weight: 6-foot-4, 330 pounds

2020 Stats: Did not play (COVID-19 opt-out)

While Woods last played for the Seahawks in 2019, it feels like he never left the team. The 10-year veteran was one of a handful of players who decided against playing during the 2020 season due to the pandemic and the Jaguars cut him in April without ever playing a game for the franchise. Previously playing for the Colts, Titans, Steelers, and Buccaneers, the former LSU standout has plenty of tread on his tires with 125 games played on his resume and turned 34 years old in March. But he should be well-rested after not playing last year and he was productive during his second stint in Seattle, producing 32 tackles, a sack, and a pair of fumble recoveries in 14 games two years ago.

Best Case Scenario: Not displaying any rust despite a year away from the game, Woods rounds into form quickly as a quality reserve nose tackle behind Bryan Mone, helping the Seahawks remain one of the best in the NFL at stuffing the run while offering an occasional quarterback pressure from the interior.

Worst Case Scenario: Struggling throughout camp and beginning to show his age, Woods becomes the latest experienced veteran to return to Seattle and not make the 53-man roster as the team opts to keep more athletic tackles in Robert Nkemdiche and Cedrick Lattimore instead.

What to Expect in 2021: It remains to be seen what Woods has left in the tank, but the Seahawks clearly believe the 6-foot-4, 330-pound run stuffer still has plenty of quality football left. They signed him before officially releasing Jarran Reed and while he's not the same type of player, he should be difficult for opponents to move off the line of scrimmage in the run game and will sporadically splash with a well-orchestrated bull rush to drive a blocker into the quarterback's lap. There's a good chance with Mone emerging he won't play 450 snaps as he did in 2019, but that's not necessarily a bad thing at his age and if he can play 250-plus snaps at a high level, he should be a helpful addition coming back to the Pacific Northwest.

Previous Seahawks 90-Man Roster Primers

Published Jun 27, 2021

CORBIN K. SMITH

Graduating from Manchester College in 2012, Smith began his professional career as a high school Economics teacher in Indianapolis and launched his own NFL website covering the Seahawks as a hobby. After teaching and coaching high school football for five years, he transitioned to a full-time sports reporter in 2017, writing for USA Today's Seahawks Wire while continuing to produce the Legion of 12 podcast. He joined the Arena Group in August 2018 and also currently hosts the daily Locked On Seahawks podcast with Rob Rang and Nick Lee. Away from his coverage of the Seahawks and the NFL, Smith dabbles in standup comedy, is a heavy metal enthusiast and previously performed as lead vocalist for a metal band, and enjoys distance running and weight lifting. A habitual commuter, he resides with his wife Natalia in Colorado and spends extensive time reporting from his second residence in the Pacific Northwest.