ESPN: 49ers WR Marquise Goodwin could use change of scenery

The folks over at ESPN put together a list of players needing a change in 2020, and San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Marquise Goodwin was one player included.

The 2020 offseason is shaping up to be a wild one, and even the San Francisco 49ers aren’t immune from what could be some of the craziest player movement in quite some time.

From Hall of Fame-caliber quarterbacks on the move to disgruntled players, contributors who are no longer contributing to their teams and so on, there’s going to be plenty of roster shakeups around the league before training camps kick into gear later this summer.

Perhaps to capitalize on all this pending hubbub, ESPN put together an all-encompassing piece of 32 teams and one player on each who could benefit from a fresh start somewhere else.

As far as the Niners go, ESPN’s Nick Wagoner chose veteran wide receiver Marquise Goodwin:

"Goodwin has been through a lot the past few years, and he ended 2019 on injured reserve with knee and foot issues. By the time Goodwin’s season came to an early end, he had fallen in the depth chart after struggling to produce consistently. The Niners would save a little less than $4 million on the salary cap by parting ways with Goodwin, and it would also allow Goodwin, a world-class long jumper, to follow through on his intention to qualify for the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo."

Without a doubt, Goodwin has gone through a difficult two-year span, which has included multiple injuries and some serious off-field tragedies with his own family. Football seems trivial in that sense, yet it’s hard to get around the sheer fact the 29 year old was mostly a non-factor the last two seasons over that time frame.

It’s crazy to think Goodwin nearly crested the 1,000-yard receiving plateau during his first year in San Francisco in 2017, coming up just shy with 962 yards. Entering 2018, many thought Goodwin would play a vital role in head coach Kyle Shanahan’s offense.

In 2019, Shanahan wanted to use Goodwin as more of a gadget player, saving him for his field-stretching abilities.

Yet that didn’t exactly pan out, either, as Goodwin was held to just 186 yards on 12 catches and a touchdown in another injury-plagued season. Once the 49ers made the trade for veteran wideout Emmanuel Sanders, Goodwin’s role shrank to insignificance. Sanders and the rookie, Deebo Samuel, were now the Niners’ top two featured wideouts.

Sanders is hitting the free-agent market this offseason, and it’s anyone’s guess whether or not San Francisco re-signs him.

Regardless if that happens or not, Goodwin’s future with the team doesn’t look great. And it’s not so much of an argument about Goodwin’s abilities. Rather it’s more a suggesting he’d benefit from moving on with another squad, should the Niners part ways, where he’d have a bigger chance to provide an impact.

It doesn’t appear as if San Francisco is that squad any longer, essentially justifying ESPN’s claim about Goodwin benefiting from a would-be change of scenery.