C.J.

Goodwin

Goodwin is a special teams ace who was felled by a torn pec last season. Going on 35, Goodwin has been in Big D since 2018. He’s a team leader who should maintain his 53-man roster spot.

Goodwin is a key loss for the Cowboys’ special teams unit. The veteran special teams ace re-signed with the team on a one-year deal earlier this offseason and has spent the last six seasons with the Cowboys. The 33-year-old will now rehab to make it back for the 2024 season.

A longtime special teams ace in Dallas, Goodwin is headed into his age-33 campaign. He will not see the field on defense.

31-year-old Goodwin is a core special teamer for Dallas. He played just 18 snaps on defense in 2020.

Goodwin was a core contributor on special teams but didn’t add enough on defense to make the final cut. He’s played with three teams in the past three seasons and has one start since 2014. Dallas could add him to the practice squad and call him up if injuries mount in their secondary.

Goodwin has played 19 games with the Cowboys over the past two seasons, but almost exclusively as a reserve defender and special teams contributor. The 30-year-old CB has played with the Steelers, Falcons, Cardinals and Cowboys since entering the league in 2014.

It’s an ominous sign for slot CB Anthony Brown, who is dealing with a back injury and may not play in Week 17 against the Giants.

Goodwin has struggled to remain on a roster in recent months, being waived four times since December. His largest contribution to date was when he played 115 snaps for the Falcons during their Super Bowl loss in 2016. He remains a long-shot to make Cincinnati’s 53-man roster.

Goodwin picked off passes on back-to-back days in minicamp, also getting the attention of ESPN’s Vaughn McClure. Coach Dan Quinn praised Goodwin last month for sticking with Julio Jones in coverage. Goodwin, who has never played a regular season snap, is still an extreme long-shot, of course.

Goodwin went undrafted out of California (PA) in 2014 and spent most of last year on the Falcons’ practice squad. He got the attention of coach Dan Quinn when he started covering Julio Jones in practice. “Guarding Julio Jones is not the easiest job on the planet,” said Quinn. “We said, ‘we might have something here.’” Goodwin has never played an NFL snap.