Zach Wood

Zach Wood (born January 10, 1993) is an American football long snapper for the New Orleans Saints of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at SMU. He has also been a member of the Dallas Cowboys.

Zach Wood
refer to caption
Wood with SMU in 2015
No. 49 – New Orleans Saints
Position:Long snapper
Personal information
Born: (1993-01-10) January 10, 1993
Dallas, Texas, U.S.
Height:6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)
Weight:255 lb (116 kg)
Career information
High school:Rowlett (Rowlett, Texas)
College:SMU (2011–2015)
Undrafted:2016
Career history
 * Offseason and/or practice squad member only
Roster status:Active
Career NFL statistics as of Week 12, 2021
Games played:75
Player stats at NFL.com · PFR

Early years

Wood attended Rowlett High School in Rowlett, Texas, where he played defensive tackle. As a junior, he recorded 99 tackles, 32 tackles for loss and 8 sacks.[1] He posted 115 tackles and 10 sacks his senior season, earning honorable-mention Class 4A All-State as a defensive lineman.[1][2]

College career

Wood accepted a football scholarship from Southern Methodist University. He was redshirted in 2011.[1] He played in nine games in 2012, tallying five solo tackles, four tackle assists and half a sack.

He played in 12 games, all starts as a 3-4 defensive end, in 2013, making 25 solo tackles, 24 tackle assists, one sack, one pass breakup, two forced fumbles, one fumble recovery and one blocked kick.

Wood appeared in 12 games, all starts as a 3-4 defensive end, in 2014, registering 18 solo tackles, 22 tackle assists, 4 sacks and 1 fumble recovery.[3]

He played in 10 games with 9 starts in 2015 and was a team captain. He recorded 29 solo tackles, 10 tackle assists, 3.5 sacks, 2 pass breakups and 3 blocked kicks.[4][5] Wood also spent time at long snapper in college.[6][7][8] He finished his college career with 33-of-43 starts, 137 tackles, 22 tackles for loss, 9 sacks, 2 forced fumbles and 3 blocked kicks.

Professional career

Wood was rated the 85th best defensive end in the 2016 NFL Draft by NFLDraftScout.com.[9]

Pre-draft measurables
HeightWeight40-yard dash10-yard split20-yard split20-yard shuttleThree-cone drillVertical jumpBroad jumpBench press
6 ft 3 in
(1.91 m)		 282 lb
(128 kg)		 4.9 s1.82 s2.97 s4.67 s7.43 s31 in
(0.79 m)		8 ft 3 in
(2.51 m)		25 reps
All values from SMU Pro Day[9]

Dallas Cowboys

Wood was signed as an undrafted free agent by the Dallas Cowboys after the 2016 NFL Draft, following a rookie minicamp tryout on May 24.[10] During his first training camp with the team, he also played on the defensive line, even taking the snaps with the first defense in practices. He was waived on September 1, 2016.[11]

He signed a reserve/future contract with the Cowboys on January 16, 2017. In his second training camp with the Cowboys, he concentrated on being a long snapper and taking some of the practice load from stalwart L. P. Ladouceur. He was released on September 2, 2017.[12][13]

New Orleans Saints

In 2017, the New Orleans Saints couldn't find a potential candidate for the long snapper job during training camp. On August 28, the Saints obtained Jon Dorenbos from the Philadelphia Eagles in exchange for a seventh-round draft pick (not exercised).[14][15] On September 7, it was revealed that Dorenbos was diagnosed with an aortic aneurysm, which required immediate heart surgery. He was placed on the non-football illness list the same day, and released with an injury settlement on September 9, before announcing his retirement.[16] On September 9, Wood was signed by the New Orleans Saints, after a last minute tryout that included four other players.[17] He successfully became the team's long snapper for all punts and placekicks during the season.

On February 20, 2018, he was re-signed to a one-year contract. On February 11, 2019, he was re-signed to a one-year contract. On March 23, 2020, Wood signed a four-year contract with the Saints.[18] He was placed on the reserve/COVID-19 list by the team on August 6, 2020,[19] and activated from the list three days later.[20]

On July 28, 2023, Wood signed a four-year contract extension with the Saints.[21]

References
  1. "Zach Wood". smumustangs.com. Archived from the original on October 18, 2017. Retrieved October 17, 2017.
  2. "2010 All State: APSE CLass 5A". lonestarpreps.rivals.com. December 15, 2010. Archived from the original on October 18, 2017. Retrieved October 17, 2017.
  3. "2015 SMU FOOTBALL" (PDF). smumustangs.com. p. 26. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 18, 2017. Retrieved October 17, 2017.
  4. "2015 Football Cumulative Statistics". smumustangs.com. Archived from the original on October 18, 2017. Retrieved October 17, 2017.
  5. "2016 SMU FOOTBALL" (PDF). smumustangs.com. p. 124. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 18, 2017. Retrieved October 17, 2017.
  6. DeShazier, John (September 9, 2017). "John DeShazier: New Saints long snapper Zach Wood plans to 'go out there and do what I do'". neworleanssaints.com. Archived from the original on October 18, 2017. Retrieved October 17, 2017.
  7. Embody, Billy (August 27, 2014). "SMU Football Depth Chart". 247sports.com. Archived from the original on October 18, 2017. Retrieved October 17, 2017.
  8. "2015 SMU FOOTBALL GAME NOTES" (PDF). static.caasports.com. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 18, 2017. Retrieved October 17, 2017.
  9. "Zach Wood". nfldraftscout.com. Archived from the original on October 18, 2017. Retrieved October 17, 2017.
  10. Broaddus, Bryan (May 24, 2016). "Scouting Report: Quick Look At Rookie DE Zach Wood, Who Signed Tuesday". DallasCowboys.com. Archived from the original on October 18, 2017. Retrieved October 18, 2017.
  11. "2016 TRANSACTIONS BY DATE" (PDF). DallasCowboys.com. October 18, 2017. p. 39. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 18, 2017. Retrieved October 18, 2017.
  12. Eatman, Nick (January 16, 2017). "Showers, Rod Smith Among 12 Players Signed To Cowboys Offseason Roster". DallasCowboys.com. Archived from the original on October 18, 2017. Retrieved October 18, 2017.
  13. "Cowboys Make 38 Moves, One Trade To Reach 53; Kellen Moore Released". DallasCowboys.com. September 2, 2017. Retrieved October 18, 2017.
  14. Spadaro, Dave (August 28, 2017). "Dorenbos Trade A 'Difficult' One For Team". PhiladelphiaEagles.com. Archived from the original on August 29, 2017. Retrieved August 29, 2017.
  15. Shook, Nick (August 28, 2017). "Eagles trade LS Jon Dorenbos to Saints for draft pick". NFL.com. Retrieved June 21, 2018.
  16. Orr, Conor (September 8, 2017). "Jon Dorenbos diagnosed with aortic aneurysm". NFL.com. Retrieved September 22, 2023.
  17. "TRANSACTIONS". neworleanssaints.com. Archived from the original on October 18, 2017. Retrieved October 18, 2017.
  18. Just, Amie (March 16, 2020). "Saints, LS Zach Wood agree to 4-year deal". NOLA.com. Retrieved September 22, 2023.
  19. Just, Amie (August 6, 2020). "Two Saints players put on reserve/COVID-19 list; here's what that means". NOLA.com. Retrieved August 10, 2020.
  20. Sigler, John (August 8, 2020). "Long snapper Zach Wood cleared from NFL's COVID-19 protocol". USAToday.com. Retrieved August 11, 2020.
  21. Simmons, Myles (July 28, 2023). "Saints sign long snapper Zach Wood to an extension". Pro Football Talk. NBC Sports. Retrieved September 22, 2023.
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