Jeremy Chinn has quickly developed into one of the better young safeties in the league and heading into year three, he finally has a running mate in the back end that can help take his game to the next level in Xavier Woods.
"Xavier Woods is doing a fantastic job. You can tell he's a veteran player," said head coach Matt Rhule. "He knows a lot. Definitely going to bring a lot to our defense. It's the little things too. It's the communication. It's after the play discussing what he saw. His confidence will be felt by everybody."
Woods did not partake in OTAs and minicamp for personal reasons but was able to watch film and study the playbook during his time away from the team. He finally joined the Panthers in Wofford for training camp and it didn't take long for him to notice Chinn's talent.
"He's a heck of a player, a heck of an athlete," said Woods. "I think me and him communicating getting on the same page, I think he can become one of the better safeties in this league. He reminds me of Harrison [Smith] a little bit; more athletic. The sky is the limit for him."
Communication is a big part of Woods' game. We've heard about it from GM Scott Fitterer, Matt Rhule, and defensive coordinator Phil Snow. In just the five or so minutes we got to spend with Woods last week, you could sense how much value he places on communication. Fortunately for the Panthers, he should be able to help clean up a lot of the issues that the defense had last year which stemmed from not being on the same page. Busted coverages are less likely to happen with No. 25 being the quarterback of the defense.
If all goes according to plan, the Carolina Panthers will be home to one of the top safety duos in the league.
"We're both pretty damn good," Woods said. "Us being one of the better safety duos, being able to be that, we have to be one. We're two different people but on the field, we have to be one. Read one another and know that I can trust him to do this and trust him to do that."
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