“That defense asks both safeties to do a lot; show up in the run game, play deep, cover slot receivers, blitz. That’s not easy to do,” McCourty added. “He’s on the field a lot because he’s earned the trust of all the coaches and players. And you can see that building every week.”
Through five games, Woodson has played a whopping 97.4 percent of the defensive snaps, which leads the team. (That’s in addition to playing 32 percent of all special teams snaps in the same stretch.) In all, Woodson and left tackle Will Campbell are the only two rookies to start every game out of the gate.
If Woodson can keep up his current pace, he’d be the first defensive rookie in franchise history to play more than 90 percent of the snaps in his first year since McCourty did it in 2010.
Part of the reason Woodson’s playing time is so high so early in his career is the fact the Patriots have done plenty of shuffling in the secondary, because of matchups and health. And while there’s still plenty to work on, through it all, Woodson has emerged as a dependable presence. His strong summer wasn’t the only reason New England felt comfortable dealing Jabrill Peppers prior to the start of the season and dropping Kyle Dugger down the depth chart, but it wasn’t a coincidence.
In all, the 6-foot, 200-pound Woodson has 17 solo tackles and one pass defensed through the first five games. While head coach Mike Vrabel said it “hasn’t been perfect” for the rookie through the opening act of the regular season, there’s been a lot to like about his performance.
“I think he’s a good communicator. He’s good in the open field. He’s been able to handle a lot of volume,” Vrabel said. “It hasn’t been perfect, and I feel like there are some snaps I’m sure he’d like to have back. But there’s been a lot that hasn’t been too big for him. And he stayed healthy.”
To Vrabel’s point, it hasn’t been perfect, for Woodson and the rest of the secondary. New England could still use a designated tight-end stopper, either in the form of a coverage linebacker or a safety. And there have been issues defending explosive plays.
But having the sort of availability that Woodson has displayed this year as a rookie goes a long way, especially when it comes to getting acclimated to the speed of the NFL.
“There’s a lot that comes with this game. It moves really fast,” said Woodson prior to Wednesday’s practice. “But I think for me, just being out there, just taking it one play at a time, thinking about my details and my technique and how I can best handle my assignment on every play, that’s what’s been helping me.”
Woodson has also been helped by the presence of veteran safety Jaylinn Hawkins, a former Cal teammate he’s been able to reconnect with at the NFL level.
“Just having that chemistry with him is huge,” Woodson said of Hawkins, who he’s been mostly paired with since the start of training camp. “We talk about a lot of things on the field before the play happens. So I think that it helps out. Just knowing that we have each other’s back out there.”
While taking time to acknowledge the positive aspects of his start, Woodson said communication and technique remain a priority.
“In this league, I’ve already learned that anybody can beat you if you have bad technique,” he said. “For me, just honing in on those little things I need to take care of while I’m out there. That’s what I’m really working on the most going forward: The atmosphere of the game and the demands that it requires. Health, preparation, technique. All of it.”