5 Vikings free agents Minnesota needs to bring back

2. Xavier Woods

Minnesota signed Xavier Woods to a one-year deal at safety in 2021 after he finished four seasons with the Dallas Cowboys.

Woods had been a regular starter for Dallas and he stepped right into the Vikings defense to start all 17 games. He put up a career-highs with three interceptions, 10 deflections, two forced fumbles and 108 tackles, including 72 solo tackles.

It wasn’t a perfect season from Woods by any stretch and he struggled at times, particularly towards the end of the season. Still, at 26 years old there is definite value in keeping him in place after the one year audition.

Woods brings the mentality the Vikings need on defense. While he had one of the best years of his career as an individual, he considered it a failure.

“I had my ups and downs, but I just wanted to win and make the playoffs but we didn’t do that,” Woods explained via Andrew Krammer of the Minneapolis Star-Tribune.

That’s exactly the kind of perspective Minnesota needs going forward.