In my previous offseason reaction articles, I’ve looked at a variety of offseason moves and how they relate to dynasty formats. The full list of links is at the bottom of the article.
Recently, the Eagles have made a bunch of transactions to overhaul their wide receiver room, including a trade for Marquise Goodwin. While I might cover the 49ers’ receiver situation in another piece, I think that most dynasty owners had already assumed that Goodwin was on his way out there. Therefore, there should be little to no change in the dynasty value of the receivers there. With that said, let’s jump into it.
Goodwin’s Career
Goodwin has had an interesting career journey in the NFL. The Buffalo Bills drafted him in 2013 in the third round. They expected him to provide a downfield speed element to their offense and to contribute on kick and punt returns. Unfortunately, Goodwin did neither of those things in his first three seasons. He played only 24 of a possible 48 games during that period and didn’t take the returner role. Also, he totaled only 20 receptions in those three seasons, averaging less than a catch per game.
In 2016, Goodwin finally managed to both stay healthy and to get on the field. He played 15 of 16 games and finished third on the Bills in targets with 68. However, he turned those 68 targets into an abysmal 29 receptions for 431 yards and three touchdowns. His 42.6% catch rate was the third-worst among all qualifying offensive players.
Based on Goodwin’s lack of production in four seasons in Buffalo, the Bills decided not to re-sign him after his contract expired. The 49ers signed him to a 2-year, $6 million contract in free agency. Goodwin came in as a starting receiver across from Pierre Garcon. In 2017, Goodwin broke out, leading the team in targets with 105. He was still somewhat inefficient, catching only 56 of those targets, but he still improved his catch rate to 53.3%. He also turned those receptions into 962 yards and two touchdowns, good for a stellar 17.2 yards/reception.
After Goodwin’s breakout 2017 campaign, the 49ers and Goodwin agreed to a 3-year extension worth $20 million, tying Goodwin to the team through 2021. Unfortunately, Goodwin never managed to repeat his 2017 success. He suffered through two injury-riddled seasons in 2018 and 2019, recording only 395 and 186 receiving yards, respectively. After acquiring Emmanuel Sanders at the 2019 trade deadline, the 49ers benched Goodwin, declaring him a healthy scratch for multiple games.
The Trade
Eagles receive: Marquise Goodwin + 210th overall pick (OT Prince Tega Wanogho)
49ers receive: 190th overall pick (TE Charlie Woerner)
With the emergence of rookie receiver Deebo Samuel, the 49ers were done with Goodwin, even after Emmanuel Sanders departed to the Saints in free agency. Considering that the 49ers sent Goodwin away for just a 20-pick upgrade in the sixth round, they didn’t value Goodwin very highly. Since they were going to cut him anyway, I can’t fault them too much for this trade. As for the Eagles, adding a veteran receiver in Goodwin made sense at such a low cost. Goodwin also agreed to take a pay cut as part of this deal, reducing his 2020 salary to only $1.35 million.
The Eagles WR Corps
Goodwin joins a very crowded group of receiving weapons in Philadelphia. First, the Eagles have star tight ends Zach Ertz and Dallas Goedert. Therefore, they will likely play dual-tight end base sets, leaving room for just two wide receivers on the field in their base offense. Both Ertz and Goedert can move into the slot, and I believe the Eagles will not take their two best offensive weapons off the field in 2020.
In 2019, the Eagles intended to use Alshon Jeffery and DeSean Jackson in two very defined wide receiver roles. Jeffery represented the big 50-50 ball receiver, while Jackson was the deep threat. However, neither Jeffery nor Jackson stayed healthy for most of the season. Jackson played just parts of three games and was a non-factor, and Jeffery only played 10 games. Jeffery did finish third on the team with 73 targets, which he turned into 43 catches for 490 yards and four touchdowns.
With both Jeffery and Jackson missing significant time, the Eagles turned to a variety of other receiving options in 2019. Ertz and Goedert led the team in targets with 135 and 87, respectively. Excluding running backs Miles Sanders and Boston Scott, the only other receiving options to see significant work were Nelson Agholor and Greg Ward. Agholor departed in free agency, and Ward is a nice story, but he’s just a long-shot undrafted free agent.
The most conspicuous absence in 2019 was second-round pick JJ Arcega-Whiteside. Despite all the injuries ahead of him, he only managed 22 targets, which he turned into 10 catches for 169 yards and a touchdown. Arcega-Whiteside was supposed to be the heir apparent to Alshon Jeffery in the “big” role, but he failed to make an impact in Year 1.
Going into 2020, Jeffery, Jackson, Arcega-Whiteside, and Ward all remain on the roster. Additionally, the Eagles drafted Jalen Reagor with the 21st overall pick in the first round of the 2020 NFL Draft. Reagor has blazing speed coming out of TCU and profiles as a replacement for Jackson, potentially as soon as this season. Either way, Reagor was a first-round pick, so the Eagles must think he will be a starter soon rather than later.
The Eagles also traded for Goodwin and drafted two late-round receivers: John Hightower in the fifth round and Quez Watkins in the sixth round. Both Hightower and Watkins are burners, so the Eagles are going all-in on speed. However, if the Eagles plan to run a base 2-TE offense, there is no way they can afford to roster eight wide receivers.
Even though the Eagles won’t save any money against the cap by moving on from Jeffery or Jackson, they almost certainly will do so. There have been rumors of a Jeffery trade since the middle of last season, and I cannot imagine that the 2020 season begins with Jeffery on the Eagles’ roster. But if the Eagles move on from Jeffery, they will then have only Arcega-Whiteside and Ward to play the “big” role. Perhaps the Eagles will change their offense, given the emphasis on speed with both their draft picks and their trade for Goodwin.
Projected Lineup
Here’s my projected lineup:
WR1: Jalen Reagor
WR2: DeSean Jackson
Relevant Bench Players/Roster Locks: Arcega-Whiteside, Goodwin
Irrelevant/Potential Cuts: Watkins, Hightower, Ward
I predict the Eagles will keep Reagor and Jackson on the field as their two starters, giving them immense speed to clear out the underneath part of the field for Ertz and Goedert. Goodwin will be a reserve to provide Reagor and Jackson rest, and Arcega-Whiteside will play in 3WR sets, sliding Jackson into the slot. I think that only Reagor will have significant dynasty value based on this projected offense.
Thanks for reading this article. You can find me on Twitter at @DFF_Karp. I love to interact with anyone in the community, so reach out at any time! I take fantasy questions and help with all formats, so keep sending those questions my way.
Previous Offseason Reactions: Nick Foles trade to Chicago, Stefon Diggs trade to the Bills, Browns’ offseason signings, Cowboys’ contract moves, Anderson signs with the Panthers, Perriman signs with the Jets, Funchess signs with the Packers, Ebron signs with the Steelers, Chiefs WR Moves, Gronk to the Bucs, Marqise Lee and the Patriots WRs, Matt Breida to the Dolphins
