The Eagles' trade for veteran wide receiver Marquise Goodwin basically amounts to this: the 49ers placed an ad on the NFL's version of Craigslist that said, "Free player," and Howie Roseman responded.
All it took to get a receiver with sub-4.3 speed and 140 career catches for 2,323 yards and 13 touchdowns was a swap of sixth-round picks. That's it. The Eagles moved down 20 spots toward the end of the draft.
What's not to like?
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Very little, but there's a reason for the bargain. Goodwin turns 30 in November and has had trouble staying healthy the past two years, and indeed, for much of his seven-year career. In fact, to date, the former third-round pick really only had one standout season, racing up 56 receptions for 962 yard and two touchdowns for a bad 49ers squad on which he was essentially the only option in the passing attack.
That was also the only season Goodwin managed to play all 16 games.
Goodwin isn't exactly cheap, either, with base salaries of $3.9 million in 2020 and $6.4 million in 2021, the latter of which he isn't likely to see.
Still, if Goodwin even matches Torrey Smith's single-season production from 2017 — 36 receptions, 430 yards, 2 scores, not including a strong playoff run — it would be a win. And the Eagles could always rework the deal so he's not a one-year rental, though there should be no rush to do that.
NFL
For a lot of other teams, there would be no point in taking a chance on a fringe starter who can't stay healthy and makes millions, even for no meaningful compensation.
For the Eagles, Goodwin represents an upgrade. Not over DeSean Jackson or first-round pick Jalen Reagor, of course. But over Greg Ward? Yes. Over J.J. Arcega-Whiteside? Probably. Over Alshon Jeffery, considering he's injured and could get traded himself? Maybe.
So considering the fact they had nothing to lose, this is almost as good as a trade gets.
Grade: A
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