Chicago Bears veteran safety Xavier Woods likely didn’t make any new friends on the Tennessee Titans after delivering a “cheap” hit in their joint practice.
Following August 27’s joint practice in Nashville, Titans head coach Robert Saleh told reporters that they are evaluating veteran wide receiver Wan’Dale Robinson after their $70 million offseason signing took a hard hit from Woods in practice that drew flags.
“Big fracas! Xavier Woods laid out Wan’Dale Robinson over the middle,” The Chicago Sun-Times’ Patrick Finley wrote Thursday on X. “Flag flown. Lotta guys start shoving.”
When asked about the hit, though, Saleh had a blunt, one-word response: “Cheap.”
Xavier Woods Could Start for Bears at Free Safety in 2026
Woods may need to rein in his aggression a bit if he is drawing penalties and cheap-shot allegations in practice, but the Bears won’t want him to lose his bite on the field, either, as they prepare to potentially start him at free safety when they open the 2026 season.
The Bears found themselves in a bind at free safety in early August when veteran Coby Bryant, their $40 million free-agent signing, went down with a significant knee injury in practice. While initial reports expressed optimism that he might return in October, the Bears have since confirmed he will miss the next four to six months as he recovers.
Days later, the Bears signed Woods to a veteran-minimum contract to compete to start.
No formal decision has been made about who will start at free safety when the Bears kick off the new season against the Carolina Panthers on September 13, but Woods has a good chance to occupy the role. The only real competition for him at the moment is veteran Cam Lewis, another March signing who has also taken nickel snaps in camp.
The Bears also have backup Elijah Hicks in contention, but he only just came off the physically unable to perform (PUP) list this week, limiting his chances of challenging.
Wan’Dale Robinson Could Miss Vital Time for Titans
Woods and the Bears can walk away from Thursday’s joint practice and put the incident behind them, but the Titans may feel some lingering effects with Robinson.
Robinson appears in jeopardy of missing vital time for the Titans — who signed him to a four-year, $70 million contract in free agency — if the hit he received from Woods puts him in the league’s concussion protocol. That’s not to say he would be at immediate risk of not playing to start the regular season, but it does introduce a new hurdle.
Robinson is coming off a career-high 1,014 yards and four touchdowns on 92 catches for the New York Giants in the final year of his rookie contract in 2025. Expectations have been that his arrival in Tennessee would give quarterback Cam Ward another go-to receiving target alongside No. 4 overall rookie Carnell Tate and Calvin Ridley.
The Titans can only hope for good news on Robinson as they wait for the evaluation.
Bears Defender Called Out Over ‘Cheap’ Hit in Titans Joint Practice