Andrew Buller-Russ
By now, if you’re a New York Jets fan, you’ve surely heard about Aaron Rodgers touching down in the Big Apple. Or maybe you’ve seen him on the jumbotron next to Sauce Gardner on the sidelines of New York Knicks games at Madison Square Garden. Rodgers, a four-time NFL MVP, certainly qualifies as a magnanimous addition to the roster.
But what if we told you the Jets actually added a much BIGGER piece to their defense? He’s bigger. Literally.
While signing 6-foot-4, 330-pound defensive tackle Al Woods may not bring the same on-field impact as Rodgers will to Gang Green, the Jets’ latest addition brings another run-stuffing defender to a unit that ranked 16th in run defense in 2022.
Woods is 33 and has spent 12 seasons in the NFL with five different organizations since becoming the 123rd overall pick in 2010. He’s coming off a season with the Seattle Seahawks, where Woods started all 14 games he appeared in.
- Al Woods stats last season: 39 tackles (5 TFL), 2 sacks, 1 PD
Jets fans shouldn’t expect Woods to provide a pass-rush boost. He has a total of nine sacks in his career. Instead, expect Woods to earn a role where he’ll play nose tackle, trying to plug gaps and stuff opponents in the running game.
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