Marquise Goodwin was a good signing, not a long-term solution
Seaside Joe 1398
Happy New Year’s Eve. The Seattle Seahawks have placed Marquise Goodwin on injured reserve.
When the Seahawks signed Goodwin to a free agent contract in May to add a speedy fourth option to the offense, their heart was in the right place. Seattle couldn’t bank on a full or productive season from D’Wayne Eskridge and sure enough the veteran out-paced the second-year second round pick 387 yards and four touchdowns to 58 yards and no touchdowns this year.
And for barely more than $1 million.
Goodwin’s season highlights include two touchdowns in the Seahawks most complete win of the season—37-23 over the L.A. Chargers—and 95 yards with a touchdown in Week 14’s gut punching loss to the Carolina Panthers. Goodwin is an athlete at the highest order and at 32 he’s extended his career well past many of his 1990-born brethren.
Unfortunately, just as Seattle couldn’t count on Eskridge in 2022, they can’t depend on a full season or a future from Goodwin in 2023.
For the last few years I’ve tried my hardest to emphasize that the NFL is simply phasing out receivers over 30, whether fans feel comfortable with it or not. Injuries play a major role in that change of roster building (it wasn’t like this five or six years ago, I’ll give you that) and it wasn’t that Goodwin missed the whole season like Jamal Adams.
Instead, he missed Week 5 with a knee injury, Week 9 with a groin injury, and he lands on IR with wrist and shoulder injuries.
Goodwin missed four games in 2013, six games in 2014, 14 games in 2015, one game in 2016, five games in 2018, seven games in 2019, he opted out in 2020, and three games in 2021.
The Seahawks could and probably should ask Marquise Goodwin to return in 2023 at the same contract, but Goodwin, Eskridge, Dareke Young, and Penny Hart is not enough to feel comfortable going into next season with depth and third/fourth options behind DK Metcalf and Tyler Lockett.
Lockett turns 31 in September. He seems ready to gut it out by missing only one game with a finger injury so that he can return to face the New York Jets with the playoffs on the line and there’s little to worry about long-term with such an ailment, but this is just common sense business. The Seahawks must make a notable move at wide receiver, whether it is in the draft, free agency, or trade. It won’t threaten Lockett’s place on the offense.
It will only strengthen the room as a whole. Just as Goodwin did at times.
Thank you for subscribing to Seaside Joe and supporting this small mom-and-pop Seahawks business. Whether you are a free subscriber, a Regular Joe, or if you consider upgrading today, I appreciate you. We’d love to reach the 1,500-subscriber mark by the end of the regular season and we’re always elated to add another Regular Joe.
Happy New Year!
The first edition of this newslettear had a typo. I wrote "Eskridge didn't miss the whole season like Jamal Adams" when I meant to write Goodwin. Hard to not mix these two up.
The Seahawks received outstanding value on signing Goodwin. He doesn't seem to have lost any speed and he has great hands--some of his catches were A+++. I would defiitely bring him back but... waiting until round 6/7 to draft a WR would be a mistake. This is another good reason to flip the Dener 1 for additonal picks in the top 60, one of which should be used on a WR.