Free agency has been utterly insane for the Cleveland Browns. They have grabbed their fair share of headline grabbers as well as solid pieces to the puzzle and that is what we have with B.J. Goodson. We all saw the news of Christian Kirksey signing with the Green Bay Packers and it appears a former Packer in Goodson will be coming to Cleveland.
Name: B.J. Goodson
Height: 6-1
Weight: 242 pounds
Age: 26 years old
Previous Team: Green Bay Packers
Goodson was drafted in the fourth round of the 2016 NFL Draft by the New York Giants and at the time the selection was viewed to be a bit of a reach. After primarily playing special teams as a rookie, he worked his way into the starting inside backer role in 2017. In 2018, New York transitioned from a 4-3 defense to a 3-4 and Goodson was again a starter on the inside and finished the season with a PFF grade of 66.2.
After his third season in the league, the Giants waived Goodson and the Packers snatched him up. Goodson actually started nine games for them last season. Goodson is your typical downhill stack linebacker that can really thump the opponent, but his snaps decreased last season due to Green Bay electing to bring in an additional defensive back. He is an okay off-ball linebacker that will fight for a starting spot, but also has a bit of an injury history that makes me believe the Browns aren’t done adding defenders.
We discussed above the decrease of snaps with the Packers and that is related to his lack of athleticism and struggles to work in space, which is even more evident in coverage. It is also not uncommon for backs to beat Goodson to the edge or flat out burn past his pursuit. Goodson is a solid player, but should not be viewed as the answer at the inside linebacker position.
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