The Cleveland Browns didn't hire Robert Saleh as their head coach but they could add another defensive assistant from the San Francisco 49ers. According to Adam Schefter of ESPN, 49ers' Joe Woods is expected to become Cleveland's new defensive coordinator.
49ers’ DB coach Joe Woods is on track to become the Browns' next defensive coordinator if the two sides can agree to a contract, per sources.https://t.co/veCiwSBnYa
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) January 19, 2020
Currently, Woods is in his first season as the defensive backs coach of the 49ers. Along with being the defensive backs coach, Woods also holds the role of pass game coordinator in San Francisco.
Prior to joining the 49ers' coaching staff, Woods was the defensive coordinator of the Denver Broncos. Now, Woods could return to a defensive coordinator role with the Browns in 2020.
Last week, the Browns chose to hire Kevin Stefanski as their next head coach. As a result, Stefanski is beginning to assemble his coaching staff and Steve Wilks could be on his way out. Wilks became the defensive coordinator in Cleveland in 2019.
Under Wilks, the Browns boasted the 22nd ranked defense in the NFL in 2019. However, the Browns did have the seventh-best pass defense that allowed only 216.9 yards per game.
As for Woods, he's been able to coach Richard Sherman, Aqib Talib, Bradley Roby, Justin Simmons, and Chris Harris Jr in the secondary. In addition, Woods was able to have a formidable defense as the coordinator of the Broncos.
Back in 2017, Denver's defense ranked third in yards allowed and 22nd in points given up. Then, in his second season as a defensive coordinator, the Broncos had the 22nd ranked defense in terms of yardage and 13th scoring defense.
If Woods accepted the defensive coordinator job for the Browns, he'd inherit a talented group of players. But before he makes the decision, he'll have to wait and see if San Francisco advances to the Super Bowl on Sunday.
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