CW #22

Charles Woods

Cornerback · SMU

A well-traveled college cornerback, three schools in five years, who was claimed off waivers by New England during 2025 final cuts.

Charles Woods took a long road through college football before landing in the NFL as an undrafted free agent, and his path to New England was almost as circuitous: waived by the Rams at final cuts in 2025, he was claimed by the Patriots the very next day and turned into a core special-teamer.

★ Third-team All-American Athletic Conference, SMU, 2023

★ Led SMU in pass breakups (11) in 2023

★ Claimed off waivers by New England during 2025 final cuts

Path to the league

Woods played defensive back at three different programs, starting at Illinois State (2018-2020), where he earned honorable mention FCS Sophomore All-American honors, before transferring to West Virginia (2021-2022) and finishing his career at SMU in 2023, where he started all 14 games and earned third-team All-American Athletic Conference honors while leading the team with 11 pass breakups. He went undrafted in 2024 and signed with the Los Angeles Rams.

Career highlights

Woods made the Rams' initial 53-man roster as an undrafted rookie in 2024 and appeared in 12 games, working almost exclusively on special teams. He was waived by Los Angeles during 2025 final roster cuts before New England claimed him off waivers on August 27, 2025.

2025 season recap

Woods appeared in nine games for the Rams before his release, recording one tackle while playing mostly on special teams. After being claimed by New England, he became a more consistent contributor, recording nine tackles and a pass defensed across his time with the Patriots while continuing to anchor coverage units.