The Browns are making another addition to their receiver room, this time via free agency. Veteran Marquise Goodwin is headed to Cleveland on a one-contract, per ESPN’s Field Yates (Twitter link).
The Browns had been interested in adding a vertical threat to their offense this offseason, and they targeted Goodwin as an option by hosting him on a visit earlier this week. He will add a speed element to the team’s revamped WR room, which lacked a true burner near the top of the depth chart.
Goodwin, 32, will likely have a rotational role behind starting wideouts Amari Cooper and Donovan Peoples-Jones. The latter two have been joined by former Jets second-rounder Elijah Moore, who was dealt to the Browns amid his trade request and New York’s efforts to reshape its own receiver stable. The latter will operate in the slot, with Goodwin in place as an experienced option behind him after stints with four different teams.
During the first of those, with the Bills, Goodwin worked as a starter for only one season. After his underwhelming time in Buffalo came to an end, the former third-rounder enjoyed by far the best campaign of his career. In 2017, the first of his three years in San Francisco, Goodwin recorded 962 yards and a pair of touchdowns on 56 receptions. That year marked the only time in which he received more than 100 targets, as he has been used in a less pronounced role since then.
Goodwin took on a complementary role in the past two years with the Bears and Seahawks, respectively. His yardage totals and catch percentages have fluctuated over the course of his career, but his yards per catch average (16.2 overall) has remained relatively consistent. The 5-foot-9, 180-pounder will look to give the Browns a boost in the downfield passing game in 2023 as the team aims to take a sizable step forward in its offensive efficiency.
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