San Francisco 49ers: 4 players who’ll benefit the most from Jimmy Garoppolo’s return
By Peter Panacy
No. 1: Wide Receiver Marquise Goodwin
Like Trent Taylor, many of the returning 49ers pass catchers should benefit from Jimmy Garoppolo’s return.
Perhaps the biggest one, however, is the veteran, Marquise Goodwin, whose 2018 campaign was marked by multiple injuries and family tragedy.
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That aside, it’s hard to avoid the obvious: Goodwin managed nearly 1,000 receiving yards his first year in San Francisco during 2017, with 384 of those coming in Garoppolo’s five starts, compared to the mere 395 yards he had all of last season.
Now, Goodwin is a deep-ball threat. And Garoppolo isn’t exactly known for being a strong-armed quarterback. But the two spent excessive time during training camp in 2018 working on their deep-ball connection, and the results suggested this could wind up being a potent factor that year.
Only injuries got in the way.
Kyle Shanahan hinted at using Goodwin in specific packages only this season, saving him the wear and tear and opening up the possibilities of big plays.
If that approach works, and the chemistry developed from 2018 training camp picks up where it left off, Goodwin’s numbers could end up being more indicative of what was seen late in 2017.
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