Role: Defensive Pass Game Coordinator
Previous Role: Defensive Pass Game Coordinator
Previous Team: Las Vegas Raiders
Age: 55
The Las Vegas Raiders made their second coaching move, retaining pass game coordinator Joe Woods under new defensive coordinator Rob Leonard. Woods, previously worked with head coach Klint Kubiak during their time together with the New Orleans Saints, where Woods was the DC and Kubiak the OC. Additionally, the two crossed paths before with the Denver Broncos, and Woods also worked for another Kubiak, Gary in that time. The former Illinois State CB has carved a strong role for himself in the NFL working from a college linebackers coach to an NFL DC.
Experience
Woods started his career bouncing around the low college level from 1992-2000 as a GA, DB coach, and LB coach in various roles with various universities. He made a jump to the FBS level in 2001 with Western Michigan as their DB coach from 2001-2003 before getting a start in the NFL. Woods worked with the Buccaneers from 2004-2005 as a quality control coach, before heading to the Vikings till 2013 as their DB coach. Woods then joined the Oakland Raiders in 2014 as a DB coach, was with the Broncos from 2015-2016 as a DB coach, and finally got his coordinator crack in 2017-2018 as the Broncos DC. Woods was fired from Denver then went to the 49ers in 2019 as their DB coach, before Cleveland hired him as their DC for 2020-2022. Woods left Cleveland for New Orleans as their DC till 2024 before being fired and landing in Las Vegas for 2025.
*Woods tenure was extensive from the 2006-2013 range with the Vikings, due to the nature of the NFL and how quickly things change, adapt, and move I won’t be touching on experience more than a decade old, for any of these unless it’s a very key thing to note. That said Woods did produce over 10 Pro Bowlers in his near decade with the Vikings*
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Denver Broncos (2015-2018)
Woods first year with Denver was about as good as things can get, going 12-4 and winning a super bowl. The Broncos saw two DB’s earn Pro Bowl honors with Aqib Talib (3 INT, 2 TD, 13 PBU) & Chris Harris Jr (2 INT, TD, 6 PBU) being among the consensus top corner duos in the NFL. Additionally, fellow DB David Bruton posted 2 interceptions, 49 tackles, and 7 PBU in rotational relief while Bradley Roby, Josh Bush, Shiloh Keo, and TJ Ward also produced quality play in diverse roles. Woods saw all but two of his top 6 DBs allow a QBR less than 85 in 2015, with three allowing lower than 65. In 2016, Broncos opposing passers tossed just 13 touchdowns to 15 interceptions across the entire season. His unit saw three Pro Bowlers with Darian Stewart logging 3 interceptions, 6 breakups, 68 tackles, and a forced fumble in 16 starts. Additionally, corners Aqib Talib (3 interceptions, 12 PBU) & Chris Harris Jr (2 interceptions, 11 PBU) were undoubtedly the best duo in the league allowing a combined 51.7 QBR and both earning first team All-Pro honors. In addition, safeties Bradley Roby and Justin Simmons each logged 2 interceptions and 6 or more breakups with TJ Ward and Will Parks combining for two interceptions and 12 pass breakups. The Broncos didn’t have a DB allow a QBR over 88 the entire season.
In his first season as defensive coordinator, Woods saw his unit rank 3rd in total yardage but 22nd in points. The teams rush defense finished 5th and their pass unit finished 7th. They ranked 8th in EPA, 24th in interceptions, and 26th in turnovers generated. Denver saw Aqib Talib (interception, 7 PBU) and Von Miller ( 10s acks, 17 TFL, 23 QB Hits) both earn pro bowl honors while veterans Darian Stewart, Chris Harris, Justin Simmons, Will Parks, Bradley Roby, Brandon Marshall, and Todd Davis also turned in strong seasons. The Broncos DB room continued to be their greatest success and heart of the defensive unit. His second season saw the Broncos dip down to 22nd in yards, 13th in points, while 5th in takeaways. The unit was 17th in EPA, top 12 in majority of other statistics, but ranked 17th in rushing defense and 15th in passing defense. The Broncos were led up front by Bradley Chubb and Von Miller who turned in a combined 26.5 sacks, 28 TFL, and 47 QB hits. Additionally, the team saw good play from Chris Harris (3 INT, 10 PBU, Pro Bowl), Justin Simmons (3 INT, 4 PBU), and Darian Stewart (2 INT, 5 PBU) while other veterans played key roles. The Broncos pass rush increased dramatically, but their dip in defensive coverages and leading the league in missed tackles pushed Woods out.
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San Francisco 49ers (2019)
The Broncos fired Woods, who immediately landed with the 49ers, and saw their defensive unit rank top 10 in majority of passing stats and finishing 9th overall vs the pass allowing just 2707 yards and 20 touchdowns across the season. Wood’s unit was lead by All-Pro CB Richard Sherman who turned in 3 interceptions and 11 PBU in 2019, while corner K’Waun Williams also logged 2 interceptions and 2 PBU. The team saw development from corners Ahkello Witherspoon and Emmanuel Mosely along with veteran safety Jimmie Ward continuing to play at a good level with Jaquiski Tartt. The 49ers DB room was young, but showcased upswings in talents and pivoted Woods to the Browns going forward after a year off.
Cleveland Browns (2020-2022)
The 2020 Browns went 11-5 under first year head coach Kevin Stefanski, and things looked extremely promising. Wood’s unit ranked 17th in yards, 21st in points but finished 10th in rushing though 22nd in passing. Additionally, the Browns defense was 18th in EPA, the highest finish in nearly 8 years. Cleveland was lead by, no surprise, Myles Garrett who turned in 12 sacks, 10 TFL, and 19 QB hits with 5 FF. Additionally, veteran Dbs Terrance Marshall, MJ Stewart, Karl Joseph, and Ronnie Harrison delivered above expectations and former top pick Denzel Ward allowed just a 68.9 QBR and turned in 2 interceptions and 20 pass breakups cementing himself as an elite NFL cornerback. Additionally veterans Larry Ogunjobi, Shedrick Redwin, Sione Takitaki, BJ Goodson, and Malcolm Smith were consistent producers with a defense lacking a weakspot, but also void of talent. The 2021 Browns faired worse record wise, but Wood’s unit finished 5th in EPA, 5th in yards allowed, 12th in points allowed, 21st in takeaways, 9th vs the run, and 8th vs the pass. Cleveland saw two pro bowlers with Denzel Ward 93 INT, 10 PBU), and again Myles Garrett (16 sacks, 17 TFL). Veteran safety John Johnson added 3 interceptions and 8 PBU with Greedy Williams another 2 and 10 PBU. The Browns also saw consistent play from safety Grant Delpit, a rookie, and veteran Ronnie Harrison. The defense lacked juice up front after Garrett and Clowney, though linebacker Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah proved to be a possible future DPOY player as a rookie. The Browns defensive backs continued their strength going forward with a relatively low talent level outside Ward.
In 2022, his unit ranked 14th in points, 20th in yards, 20th in takeaways, 27th vs the rush, and 5th vs the pass. Overall, they finished just 12th in EPA and turned in a decent season that saw development from Koramoah, Delpit, Ward, and Jordan Elliott. Delpit and Ward combined for 7 interceptions and 25 breakups with veteran linebackers Deion Jones and Tony Fields being consistent. Veteran safety John Johnson turned in strong performances, but Cleveland’s defense was inconsistent, lacked pass rush despite having Myles Garrett while also relying on veterans with corners Greg Newsome & Martin Emerson not developing as Cleveland had hoped in addition to other veteran additions.
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New Orleans Saints (2023-2024)
In 2023, after his firing from the Browns, Woods landed in New Orleans turning out the 12th ranked defense in 2023 with the Saints ranking 15th vs the run and 10th vs the pass. Additionally, New Orleans finished 4th in takeaways and 9th in EPA. The team was led by defensive backs Tyraan Mathieu, Paulson Adebo, Alontae Taylor, and Mracus Maye who turned in a combined 12 interceptions and 43 pass breakups. Additionally, Adebo and Taylor both allowed below a 80 QBR on the season. Fellow cornerback Isaac Yiadom, allowed a 78.8 QBR and added another 14 breakups. The team saw good production and development in linebackers Pete Warner, Zack Baun, and veteran Demario Davis finished as an All-Pro. The Saints pass rush was inconsistent and struggled to make much movement logging just 34 sacks. In 2024, New Orleans finished with the 30th ranked defense in yards, 21st in points, and 26th vs the run, 18th vs the pass, and 20th in takeaways while having the 19th ranked unit in EPA. New Orleans prevented passing touchdowns, but struggled vs the run and in the end got Woods fired again along with head coach Dennis Allen. The unit saw development in Alontae Taylor, Paulson Adebo, rookie pass rusher Bryan Breese, and Carl Granderson but other additions Payton Turner, Nathan Shephard, Khalen Saunders, and Willie Gay underperformed though the defensive backs remained strong anchored by the two above, and Tyrann Mathieu again.
Las Vegas Raiders (2025)
The Raiders 2025 defense wasn’t great, ranking 17th in EPA but Wood’s cornerback unit finished ranked highly with Eric Stokes seeing a massive bounceback season finishing top 25 in every cornerback statistic outside PBU and interceptions. Stokes was top 15 in EPA/target and separation rate allowed while rookie Darien Porter saw playtime towards the end of the year, and continued to develop. Stokes was a key free agent signing and under Woods showed a ton of development back to his first round pedigree, while Porter allowed a sub 80 QBR and posted 6 breakups as a rookie. For the first time in nearly a decade, the Raiders starting CB duo allowed less than 600 yards and a combined QBR lower than 80. Veteran journeyman Kyu Blu Kelly turned in three interceptions and 6 PBU before a torn ACL, though the veteran also was near the bottom in total yards allowed as well. UDFA Greedy Vance saw playtime, but overall Las Vegas stuck to their core of Porter, Kelly, and Stokes.
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Philosophy
Woods is a clear cut defensive backs coach, he’s not exceptional when running a whole unit and his defensive backs due to tend to struggle at times when he’s diverting attention to a whole unit. The veteran defensive coordinator had issues adapting his system, and was consistently beat late at times. Overall, Woods is a zone heavy defensive coordinator, focusing on two high shells with a C3 look underneath. Additionally, he does preach aggressiveness and an ability to attack the ball in coverage, which often led to his units all ranking inside the top 8 for PBU in each season since 2012, including three first place finished. Woods’ units are focused on keeping the ball in front but attacking downhill to make a play on the ball as well, though his aggressive coaching style did get him beat over the top as well allowing the 6th most explosive plays from 2021-2024 with his units. Woods overall does fit into the realm of coaches Leonard has worked under, and who’s scheme he will deploy. One thing is fluid, with Woods and his track record of developing CBs and limiting penalties has stuck with him. Additionally, Woods does implement aspects of true press coverage which is a far look from his zone feels, and it can limit his defensive backs but speaks to the aggressive playstyle he intends to implement. Las Vegas saw a small uptick in man coverage for 2025, and that should happen again under Rob Leonard.
Players to Watch, Connections:
Eric Stokes is a standout, and the Raiders are going to push to keep him. Additionally, Saints CB Alontae Taylor, who saw a down year without Woods, is slated to hit the market and could be a good low cost, high upside signing for Las Vegas this off-season. Additionally, Saints linebacker Demario Davis is scheduled to be a free agent, and Las Vegas could be looking to address their poor LB position, though Davis and the Raiders don’t have a great fit together. In addition, Browns safety Ronnie Hickman is someone to watch as the former UDFA is a restricted free agent but Las Vegas showed the willingness to attempt at signing RFA’s last off-season. Linebacker, Willie Gay is a free agent this off-season and could look to rejoin forces with Joe Woods and address the Raiders lack of LB depth. Veteran corner Paulson Adebo, who signed with the Giants last off-season, could be a free agent target given his experience with Woods if he’s released or traded this off-season by New York. Additionally, cornerback Greg Newsome is slated to hit the open market this year, and his issues in man coverage could be a thing to monitor, though the NFL has seen former first round picks bounce back well.
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