Ex-USC football captain signs with controversial ex-Trojans OC in NFL

Former USC football captain Antwaun Woods has signed with the Arizona Cardinals of the National Football League, whose head coach is former Trojans Offensive Coordinator Kliff Kingsbury. Kingsbury famously left the job shortly after he took it in the offseason for the Cardinals' head coaching position.

SEE MORE: USC football’s most dominant defenders of all-time, ranked

It remains one of the most head-scratching blunders of the Lynn Swann era. Now, Woods will play with him as Kingsbury enters his fourth year in the League. Woods comes in as a veteran, having played five years in the NFL already. Not bad for an undrafted Trojan.

With the Cardinals losing elite pass-rusher Chandler Jones in the offseason, they clearly are hoping that Woods can provide some toughness up front in order to help lessen the blow of that loss. And he can, as when Woods was a full-time starter in the NFL (2018), he totaled 34 tackles. Not bad for a tackle.

Former USC football DT Antwaun Woods had a solid career for the Trojans.

Antwaun Woods played for USC football from 2012 to 2015, and had his best year in that last season. He had three sacks for the second time in his career, and got all the way up to 38 tackles and six for loss. He picked up a fumble off the ground that year too.

Woods is still under 30, and if he can stay healthy and play close to a full season (unlike last year), he can still be a difference-maker on an NFL squad. After playing just seven games for Indianapolis last year, the former four-star USC recruit will certainly have quite a bit of motivation to come out strong for the Cards in 2022.