C.J. Goodwin’s penalty to tackle ratio of 4:1 makes him an expendable player on the Cowboys
Most NFL teams reserve just three roster spots for special teams. Kicker, punter and long snapper are standard protocol for league roster builders, and very few top minds will deviate from such a mindset. The Cowboys, always eager to disrupt, aren’t most NFL teams.
Dallas doesn’t follow the usual do’s and don’ts of roster building because they dedicate an extra roster spot to teams. C.J. Goodwin has been that man for them, and despite offering almost nothing in the way of offense or defense, Goodwin has managed to stay firmly affixed to the roster based solely on his special teams play.
The majority of his time with the Cowboys, it’s been money well spent. The ace has been a coverage team savant, slicing his way through double teams, burning his way around corners, and imparting his will upon return men as he made arm tackle after arm tackle in various punt and kick coverage situations.
Lately he’s been far below dominant, going from asset to liability in less than two shakes of a lamb’s tail. Goodwin, a man Dallas has employed since 2018, has gone from untouchable gunner to undeniable progress stopper, overnight.
Special teams has long been regarded as a valuable commodity in Cowboys Nation. From Bill Bates to Kenny “The Shark” Gant, the gunner position has been a respected spot from coaching staff and fans alike. For years, Goodwin has fit that bill.
But Father Time is undefeated and Goodwin, 34, might have finally met his match. Through six games in 2024, Goodwin has just one tackle to his name. To make matters worse, Goodwin has been a magnet for penalties, getting called for four already this season and making more than a few people wonder what exactly he’s offering the Cowboys at this point.
With a penalty to tackle ratio of 4:1, Goodwin’s days are possibly numbered in Dallas. As injured players make their way back into the fold in coming weeks, the Cowboys need to think long and hard about what’s best for the club. Goodwin is no longer the special teams ace he used to be and appears to be playing below replacement level. Using his roster spot on a younger player with better potential seems like a better use of resources in both the long term as well as in the present.
The Cowboys might have held on too long with Goodwin and if they really respect special teams play as much as they’ve shown in the past, they have to consider moving on.
C.J. Goodwin’s job may be in jeopardy under the NFL’s new kicking format, says @ReidDHanson.
For six years, C.J. Goodwin has been a fixture on the Cowboys. Surviving multiple coaching administrations and numerous roster crunches, Goodwin has repeatedly defied many annual roster predictions, making his way to the active roster for Week 1.
Listed as a defensive back, it’s Goodwin’s special teams play that has been his ticket to a roster spot. The 6-foot-3, 190-pound dynamo has been the leader of Dallas’ kick and punt coverage teams. Like kicker, punter and long-snapper, Goodwin offers next to nothing on defense, yet his impact and value in any given game has been significant. This all stands to change with the NFL’s new kickoff format in place.
The NFL’s new kickoff policy calls for placekickers to kick from their own 35-yard line, with up to two returners set up to receive inside their own 20. Everyone is else situated in the middle. The kicking team with one foot on the return team’s 40 and the return team between their 30 and 35. The idea is to reduce the speed of impact and make returns safer.
The inevitable consequence is the play looks more like a regular football play than a special teams return. This means personnel will likely adjust, with size becoming a priority and traditional gunners potentially becoming an endangered species. Suddenly Goodwin’s meal ticket has fallen into jeopardy.
Teams can only speculate as to what combination of players will make the most optimal unit under the new special teams rules. The strategy the Cowboys deploy early will likely adapt as the nuances of new format are put into action. Until it’s actually seen at full speed, it’s unknown exactly how someone like Goodwin will fit.
In the past, linebackers and safeties populated the ranks somewhat disproportionately in kicking situations. Many project a special teams unit will now made up of more traditional players under the new format because kick returns will better resemble a typical football play. If traditional defensive players start playing bigger roles on kicks, specialists like Goodwin stand to lose value. With roster spots always at a premium, the Cowboys could favor more versatile players who can also play in a defensive rotation.
For years people have been trying to write Goodwin off the roster and for years Goodwin has been making fools of them for it. It’s always dangerous betting against Goodwin. But at age 34 and under a new kicking format that will likely favor his competition, this might finally be it for Goodwin on the Cowboys.
From @ToddBrock24f7: The special-teams ace will have season-ending pectoral surgery this week; Vander Esch is likely to also miss the remainder of the year.
Two valued members, leaders of the Cowboys’ defense and special teams who have been absent for weeks, may now both be done for the 2023 season.
Linebacker Leighton Vander Esch and cornerback C.J. Goodwin both went on injured reserve in the hours before the team’s Week 6 game against the Chargers in Los Angeles. At the time, it was hoped that both would be back before the season was out.
According to a report from Michael Gehlken of the Dallas Morning News, that is now off the table for Goodwin. And it’s not looking good for Vander Esch, either.
Goodwin suffered a pectoral injury in Week 5’s loss to San Francisco and now plans to undergo surgery later this week to repair the damage. There had been slight hope that strengthening the area around the muscle through rehab could delay the need for a procedure, but Gehlken reports that the special teams ace has had a recent setback.
“I knew it was a long shot anyway,” Goodwin said, per Gehlken. “They said they never had somebody come back from it, but they gave me the opportunity to try, and I tried. It is what it is, but I’m looking forward to getting it better and rehabbing.”
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As for Vander Esch, a course of action has not been decided regarding his latest neck injury, also suffered in Week 5. The veteran linebacker has already had one fusion procedure, in 2020, to treat a bulging disk. A second surgery to address his current injury is still a possibility, according to a person close to the situation.
Both Goodwin and Vander Esch could have had their 21-day practice windows opened on Monday. Instead, the door has closed on Goodwin’s season, and what’s behind Vander Esch’s is very uncertain.
From @ToddBrock24f7: The Cowboys could be without the services of special teams ace C.J. Goodwin, who tore his left pectoral muscle during Sunday’s 42-10 loss.
The Cowboys suffered a humiliating defeat on their latest visit to San Francisco. Now, it appears, there’s injury to add to that insult.
Cowboys cornerback and special teams ace C.J. Goodwin tore his left pectoral muscle in the Week 5 loss, per a report from NFL insider Adam Schefter. He is expected to miss the remainder of the 2023 season, though there is apparently an option may have him back on the field sooner rather than later.
Goodwin made one tackle Sunday before exiting the game with what was described at first as a shoulder injury. He returned to action briefly but then appeared to tell special teams coordinator John Fassel that he wouldn’t be able to continue. Goodwin was later declared out for the rest of the game.
More bad injury news: Cowboys’ special teams ace CJ Goodwin tore his pectoral muscle and is out for the season, per source.
Cornerback Noah Igbinoghene took his place as special teams gunner.
Goodwin was scheduled to have an MRI on Monday, though early word Sunday night from inside the Levi’s Stadium locker room was that the injury was thought to be concerning.
By Monday afternoon, it was announced that there was a decision to be made regarding the muscle tear. Goodwin could have immediate surgery to repair the muscle and miss the rest of the season.
Alternatively, he and the team could elect to work on strengthening the area around the muscle, according to Michael Gehlken of the Dallas Morning News. If he rehabs himself back into playing shape, he could delay a surgical procedure until later.
Cowboys head coach Mike McCarthy says Goodwin is “likely” headed to injured reserve, as per Clarence Hill Jr. of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. If placed there, he will have to miss at least four games.
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The 33-year-old joined the Cowboys during the 2018 season, a signing off the Bengals practice squad. He’s been a locker room leader and an integral part of the special teams unit since then, leading the Cowboys in special teams tackles for three consecutive years from 2019 to 2021. After finishing tied for second on the team in special teams tackles in 2022, Goodwin re-signed wit the club on a one-year contract in March; he had been promoted from the practice squad to the active roster prior to Week 3’s game in Arizona.
Cowboys special teams coordinator John Fassel lost two of his main pieces at the start of free agency in linebacker Luke Gifford and wide receiver Noah Brown. Dallas got back on the board for that unit, keeping cornerback C.J. Goodwin on a one-year deal.
Goodwin was undrafted in 2014 and joined the Steelers as a practice squad player then bounced around five other teams until 2018, when the Cowboys signed him. Ever since, Goodwin’s been the top special teams player for Dallas as their main gunner.
This is the fifth contract Goodwin has agreed to with the Cowboys, the two sides seem to like each other.
Maher, Jake McQuaide, and C.J. Goodwin will be brought back; the club is temporarily making room on the 53-man roster for injured players. | From @ToddBrock24f7
The Cowboys front office has started its annual shell game as the deadline for paring down the roster to 53 names quickly approaches.
The club has released Brett Maher, the only kicker on the roster, according to multiple sources, including Michael Gehlken of the Dallas Morning News and ESPN’s Todd Archer. Long snapper Jake McQuaide and special teams ace C.J. Goodwin have been released as well, but the moves do not signal some radical never-kick-ever strategy for the Cowboys in 2022.
All three are expected to be brought back for Week 1 and are being “cut” only temporarily as the team massages the roster.
If the Cowboys were to place players like Tyron Smith and James Washington on injured reserve now, they would be automatically ineligible to return at any point this season.
Their expected inclusion on Tuesday afternoon’s initial 53-man roster will allow them to be moved to short-term IR on Wednesday and miss just a few weeks instead… but that often means other starting-caliber specialists are asked to go through the paperwork dance of being technically cleared off the team’s roster for 24 hours.
The Cowboys have released K Brett Maher, LS Jake McQuaid and ST ace C.J. Goodwin, but all three will be back in some form for Week 1 as the Cowboys manipulate their roster, according to multiple sources. Need spots for IR to return guys, other moves. All vested vets, no waivers.
Because Maher, McQuaide, and Goodwin are vested veterans with four-plus years of experience, they will not be exposed to the waiver wire, where other teams could claim them during that interim period.
The 53-man roster, due by 3 p.m. Central time Tuesday, will look somewhat odd with no kicker or long snapper on it, but it’s all part of a master plan. The roster will look decidedly more normal by the time the season opener versus Tampa Bay rolls around on Sept. 11.
However, Dallas wasn’t content with its success and it wound up costing it before the next snap.
The Cowboys left the special-teams unit on the field, sending Anger to a wideout position. They were hoping to create chaos for the 49ers and force them into a timeout.
The only chaos that ensued was Dallas sending its offense on the field way too late and before Dak Prescott was able to get the ball, the play clock burned down to zero.
A five-yard penalty for delay of game and Dallas faced first-and-15 rather than first-and-10. It wasn’t able to get another first down and had to settle for a Greg Zuerlein field goal that cut the deficit to 23-10.
Dallas saw several key players participate fully in what coach Mike McCarthy dubbed the team’s “heaviest workload” before the season opener. | From @ToddBrock24f7
“Today is huge for us,” said Cowboys head coach Mike McCarthy on Monday morning, in advance of the day’s practice session. With Dallas slated to kick off the 2021 season Thursday night, McCarthy and the team are several days ahead of their typical weekly workflow. That made the Labor Day practice a significant one, especially following the news that All-Pro right guard Zack Martin had tested positive for COVID over the weekend and would almost assuredly miss the season opener versus the Buccaneers.
But Monday’s practice- which McCarthy referred to as “our heaviest workload of the whole preparation” for Thursday’s game in Tampa- brought huge news indeed for several Cowboys players who are making their way back to game readiness.
Offensive tackle La’el Collins was a full participant on the day, as were quarterback Dak Prescott, cornerback C.J. Goodwin, edge rusher DeMarcus Lawrence, and safety Donovan Wilson.
Defensive end Chauncey Golston was at first listed as a full participant; the club later released a correction reclassifying the Iowa product as “limited.” Offensive lineman Ty Nsekhe was also limited in the day’s work.
Cowboys have issued a correction. Chauncey Golston was a limited participant, which makes much more sense.
Just a guess on my part, but I think you can count on Golston as a gameday inactive for at least the first few weeks of the season. https://t.co/lR61ENi7yJ
Collins missed all of last season with hip issues and then was forced out of two separate practices in recent weeks with a neck stinger. His return to form will help an offensive line that will have its hands full Thursday, minus their best player and going against the defending Super Bowl champs, who just activated Ndamukong Suh off their Reserve/COVID list.
Wilson was pulled from practice on August 25th with a groin injury, and will be important to a defensive back rotation aiming to shut down Mike Evans, Chris Godwin, and Tom Brady’s cast of lethal pass-catchers.
Prescott, of course, is coming off last season’s horrific ankle injury and a muscle strain in his throwing shoulder that kept him out of preseason action entirely and limited for much of camp. It is no understatement to suggest that, as Prescott goes, so go the Cowboys.
Recovery from back surgery caused Lawrence to miss all of the team’s spring work and most of training camp. He was on the PUP list until August 3rd. He, too, was held out of preseason games and is eager to return to live action.
Special teams ace Goodwin missed four weeks with a bad hamstring and returned to practice just last Thursday.
Golston remains a mystery to anyone not inside the Cowboys’ facility. The rookie was selected in the third round of the draft, but started training camp on the PUP list with a hamstring malady.
Nsekhe has been bothered by a foot issue. His availability in Tampa will be important, given the focus on the offensive line and questions about whether the starters will be able to remain healthy.
Goodwin struggled to find a way to the league, struggled to find a steady home. The one place he has no struggles is the special teams unit. | From @CDPiglet
Charaun Jaree Goodwin, better known as C.J., did not have the typical route to the NFL. A basketball player at Bethany College for a couple seasons before transferring to Fairmont State University, he was eventually talked into trying out for the Fighting Falcons as a college junior. He played wide receiver but wasn’t very impactful.
Goodwin moved with his coach from Fairmont to the California University of Pennsylvania where he made his name on special teams. Goodwin only produced 11 receptions for 126 yards and one touchdown as a senior, but he played in all 11 games because of his excellent play in the third phase. This did not lead to NFL interest though.
Goodwin had the size to be a WR in the NFL, but even after going undrafted in the 2014 draft, Goodwin didn’t even get interest from teams as an undrafted free agent.
Finally Mel Blount, who Goodwin worked with as a farmhand for many years, went to bat for Goodwin and got the Steelers to give him a workout that lead to him having a career in the NFL.
The next player in the Dallas Cowboys 2021 player profile is No. 29, special teams ace C.J. Goodwin.
After a disastrous 2019 on special teams, it took just two off-season’s to rebuild the Dallas Cowboys units under John Fassel.
There was work to do to improve all areas for the Dallas Cowboys when Mike McCarthy arrived in January of last year. The offense was good but needed some fresh insight and the defense was regressing. The area that needed the most work, however, may have been the special teams units. It had been in decline for years and finishing 2019 as one of the worst units in the league, change was absolutely necessary.
In came one of the best teams coaches in the NFL, John Fassel who brought with him a commitment to improving all facets of the unit. Change was needed, both in approach and innovation, which Fassel provided. Under the guru, the Cowboys showed they were on the right path.
In 2019, the #Cowboys special teams finished 30th in DVOA.
In 2020 under John Fassel, they improved all the way to 7th.
I know it's easy to focus on the failed trick plays, but Fassel definitely helped pull DAL's ST out of the NFL's doldrums in 2020.
Dallas wasn’t resting on their laurels and continued to overhaul their special teams. It took just two offseasons to remake the units and the Cowboys now have a drastically different look than they did before McCarthy and Fassel took over.
Vincent Carchietta-USA TODAY Sports
The process began with bringing in kicker Greg Zuerlein to stabilize that phase after the team released Dan Bailey. Zuerlein came in as a Fassel favorite and he had a lot of success in his first season with the Cowboys. The veteran made 34 of 41 kicks, but six of his seven misses were on kicks from beyond 50-yards out and he nailed every kick shorter than 40 yards. On the flip side, he missed three extra points. Zuerlein needs to be more consistent there, but he was the only major change in the kicking units at the beginning of last year.
Much to team observers’ dismay, Dallas held onto incumbent punter Chris Jones to start the 2020 season. A core muscle injury to Jones changed that proposition and forced the Cowboys to look outside the organization, where they eventually found Hunter Niswander. Dallas got much better results from Niswander and he’ll now compete with recently signed Bryan Anger for punting duties in 2021.
The other major roster shakeup was the franchise choosing to not re-sign their longest-tenured player, long snapper L.P. Ladouceur. It was a shock to see the organization walk away from a player who had never missed a game in his 16 seasons with the Cowboys, nor did he ever have an errant snap.
To replace Ladouceur, Dallas signed LS Jake McQuaide, who played for Fassel with the Los Angeles Rams. McQuaide has also never missed a game and has two Pro Bowls on his resume.
The exit of Ladouceur this offseason meant the Cowboys have replaced all three of their main special teams parts, the team replaced its kicker, punter and long snapper in the span of 16 months.
Dallas also made key signings to keep the special teams moving in the right direction. Coverage unit ace C.J. Goodwin was brought back as one of the best players on the unit and the Cowboys added safety Jayron Kearse to give the coverage teams a bump as well. The 2021 draft also brought forth many players who should further boost the overall speed and athleticism of both the coverage and return units. Towering speedster Simi Fehoko (6-foot-4, 227 pounds, 4.44 40-yard time) immediately come to mind.
(AP Photo/Roger Steinman)
Last season, Fassel’s influence helped transform running back Tony Pollard from an unsure, hesitant return man to one of the league’s most electric options as he finally capitalized on the skills that make him a talented change of pace option.
Pollard’s timidity was still present early in the year, but by midseason he was breaking off big gains. From Week 7 on he had three different returns of at least 60 yards and improved his kickoff return average from 17.5 in 2020 to 23.9 in 2021.
Tavon Austin led the club in punt returns in 2019 with 17, averaging just 4.9 per return. Rookie CeeDee Lamb had 24 returns and averaged 7.2 per jaunt.
These are now the baselines for the competitions heading into 2021 training camp and Fassel’s technique coaching along with blocking schemes are to thank for the steps up.
Aside from the turnover in players to improve the units, Fassel has also brought in a new philosophy.
The Cowboys tried several trick plays on special teams, which came with a moderate amount of success. They didn’t all work, the Thanksgiving fake punt debacle is hard to forget, but there were several attempts that did work.
Zuerlein’s watermelon on-sides kick helped the Cowboys beat the Atlanta Falcons and the throwback punt return against the Pittsburgh Steelers was successful and well executed to the tune of a 73-yard explosion.
McCarthy and Fassel’s willingness to be aggressive and to force opponents to prepare for every situation was a different approach from the previous regime.
It only took one year, and two off-seasons, to change the direction of the Cowboys’ special teams. It’s a vastly different group now and the hope is that Dallas continues to improve from year one to year two.
The rebuild on special teams were needed and the Cowboys are in much better shape now than they were before the duo of McCarthy and Fassel arrived.
You can chat with or follow Ben on twitter @BenGrimaldi.
