After 12 seasons in the NFL and his last eight with the Dallas Cowboys, C.J. Goodwin has decided to hang up his cleats and announced his retirement. Goodwin, 36, was the Cowboys second longest-tenured player behind Dak Prescott.
Since joining the team in 2018 he’s played a total of 108 games, logging 2211 snaps on special teams. He’s been one of Dallas’ most impactful special teams players for nearly a decade and his retirement now leaves a hole that needs to be filled.
Who’s going to step up and fill
Goodwin’s role as Dallas’ special teams ace? Do they even have any legitimate options currently on the roster? We believe there are a few players who could potentially step into that role with little to no drop-off in production.
OLB Marist Liufau
Liufau’s standing with the Cowboys currently seems to be somewhat in limbo. He spent his first two years with the organization as an off-ball linebacker, but now is making the position switch to outside LB. Despite that, he did play the second-most special teams snaps (74.59%), behind only CJ Goodwin (80.17%), last season. If he doesn’t get caught in a numbers crunch, he could become Dallas’ new special teams ace.
S P.J. Locke
As a free agent addition, P.J. Locke is a bit of a mystery as far as what he’ll contribute to the Cowboys this season on defense and special teams. He is expected to play a backup safety role as well as be a key contributor on special teams. Last season he played 42.04% of the special teams snaps in Denver and could see that total increase significantly this year.
S Alijah Clark
After paying $259,000 in guarantees to secure Alijah Clark’s services last year, the undrafted free agent gained national attention with his special teams play due to his try-hard attitude and never-quit effort. His special teams ability will once again be the key factor to making the 53-man roster, but he too has to avoid the numbers crunch in Dallas’ secondary. Proving his worth in training camp and preseason will be huge for him.
