Bears Need Proof from Marquise Goodwin

One of the signings by Bears GM Ryan Pace made more sense on paper than in reality.

Numbers can't really replace the actual way the game is played, otherwise Marquise Goodwin would be a candidate for Canton along with former Bengals receiver John Ross.

The Bears signed Goodwin and there's no doubt the idea is to add speed at training camp to a receiver corps which lacked this commodity to a great extent.

The speed the Bears lacked was on a stop watch, though, and not the football field. Darnell Mooney was the only wide receiver the Bears had with speed below 4.5 in the 40 before this past free agency and draft, as neither Riley Ridley, Allen Robinson nor Javon Wims posted those type of times. Anthony Miller might have, but never ran before the draft.

Still, the addition of Goodwin looks more like one made for competition or to push veterans in camp than it seems likely to supply a vital player in the offense. 

"You talk to guys that have been with us for the past two or three years they're going to tell you they want that (camp competition) and it makes them better," Bears coach Matt Nagy said. "So now we got to decide, OK, just like Justin (Fields) and these other rookies coming in they're learning this offense for the first time, well, so is Marquise Goodwin, so is Damiere Byrd, so are some of these other guys.

"So when they come in, they can't play as fast as you know Anthony Miller, Mooney, Wims, Ridley, A-Rob. It takes them a little bit. When there's a conversion in a route what do you do? So what's their learning curve going to be. We we think it's going to be pretty good which inevitably is going to push all these guys."

Pushing doesn't win roster spots. Production does.

Only Ridley among holdover Bears receivers has yet to prove he can play at a high enough level. 

Goodwin has done it only once in his seven seasons. 

And although Goodwin had 4.25 speed in the 40, he was an Olympic long jumper and not an Olympic sprinter. His speed has rarely been as evident on the football field. 

The former Bills and 49ers receiver has been a track athlete with football skills who most often has come up with the nagging little injuries that so often plague those who run the oval or partake in the pits. Everything has to be just right for track athletes to compete, but football players play through minor things.

Goodwin has had so many minor injuries he's played in only 75 possible games of a possible 112 and made over 23 receptions only twice in his career. His 2017 first season in San Francisco aside, there'd be no reason to think Goodwin could even play in the NFL because of his lack of production. 

The only statistic giving rise to hope Goodwin might give the Bears several big plays this season is that he had nine touchdown catches and averaged 16.6 yards per catch between 2016 and 2019. 

However, when he was traded by the 49ers to the Eagles and opted out, Philadelphia exercised caution and just negated the deal, flipping him back to the Niners. They'd given up only a sixth-round pick and didn't see the need to sit around waiting for payback on a risky investment. 

Receivers who make the roster and don't start also have to be key special teams performers. 

Goodwin isn't. 

After his third season in Buffalo, Goodwin has been in on 10 special teams plays. He had 22 kick returns for Buffalo but hasn't done this since 2015.

The Bears might get use out of speedy Damiere Byrd as a slot or a Z receiver at times because he's persisted throughout a few strange injury situations and a tough career origin as an unused, extremely fast player with Carolina. He rose up and caught 47 passes in New England last year and 32 with Arizona two years ago.  

However, Goodwin's best years as a receiver came when he was with two teams very short on receiver competition. Buffalo also had Sammy Watkins and Robert Woods, but Watkins played only eight games in 2016 and Woods hadn't yet become the receiver who later blossomed with the Rams. 

With the 49ers in 2017 during his best season, Goodwin was on a roster virtually void of other receivers. The other top ones were Pierre Garcon and Trent Taylor. Garcon was at the end of his career and missed half the season with a neck injury and Taylor started only one game.  

If Goodwin is going to be a major player in this Bears season, it's going to take a drastic departure from past performance and a sudden ability to contribute on special teams.

Marquise Goodwin at a Glance

Career: Eighth season, 280 targets, 140 receptions, 13 TDs.

2020: Opted out

Key Number: 35. Since 2017 Goodwin has made 35 catches.

2021 Projection: Fails to make cut or goes on injured reserve.