Al Woods saw his third stint with the Seahawks come to an end last month, but he could be moving closer to finding his next NFL home. The veteran defensive tackle is set to visit the Browns and Jets this week, per Ian Rapoport of NFL Network (Twitter link). 
Woods, 36, spent the past two years in the Emerald City, having also played there in 2011 and 2019 during his prior tenures with the Seahawks. He started every game he appeared in between 2021 and ’22, though his playing time dropped noticeably this past year. Woods logged a 39% snap share, his lowest total since 2016, after that figure sat at 52% the previous season.
The 6-4, 330-pounder remained productive with Seattle, totaling 89 tackles and 3.5 sacks across the past two years. His release came as part of the team’s widespread changes along the defensive front, and yielded more than $3.6MM in cap savings. Seattle is still in need of a starting nose tackle, however, and is open to a return (Twitter link via Bob Condotta of the Seattle Times). The same holds true of fellow veteran Shelby Harris.
Cleveland entered the offseason with additions along the front seven being a top priority. They bolstered their defensive interior with, most notably, the signing of Dalvin Tomlinson. The former Viking joins the Browns with high expectations after inking a four-year, $57MM deal. Further additions could be coming, and with $7.7MM remaining in cap space, Woods could provide the team with a short-term option to fill at least a rotational role.
The Jets’ d-line is centered not by a free agent addition but rather a relatively recent draftee, of course. Quinnen Williams is set to play on the fifth-year option in 2023, and his production this past season in particular has him on track for a monster extension. More immediately, Woods would help fill the void created by the departures of Sheldon Rankins and Nathan Shepherd, as New York looks to repeat its defense success from last season with a strong unit up front.
New York, like Cleveland, has modest spending power at the moment ($9.1MM in cap space). That could allow them to sign Woods in a bid to add experience and production at the heart of their defenses, though expectations would certainly need to be tempered given the former fourth-rounder’s age and usage. In any case, a deal could be on the horizon.
whoever lines up next to Quinnen Williams is going to have a nice year. Q takes on a lot of doubles (and wins).