The quickest way for non-starters to carve out a role in the NFL is on special teams. More often than not, that's the difference between a talented depth receiver making the roster and a more limited pass-catcher sticking around because he can hold his own as a gunner or a blocker.
Even with a cyborg place kicker in Brandon Aubrey, the Dallas Cowboys haven't always flaunted elite special teams play. Their kickoff return coverage last season was a disaster, underscoring the loss of former coordinator John "Bones" Fassel, who departed in the 2025 offseason.
Unfortunately, Dallas will have to overcome another significant loss to their special teams unit, as longtime captain C.J. Goodwin has announced his retirement.
Despite hardly ever seeing the field on defense, Goodwin stuck around for eight seasons after the Cowboys plucked him off the Cincinnati Bengals' practice squad in 2018. He played in 108 games for Dallas, including 105 of a possible 117 regular-season games from 2019 to 2025.
Longtime Cowboys special teams ace C.J. Goodwin retires from the NFL
It was a running joke among Cowboys fans that Goodwin would always find his way onto the 53-man roster every August. He'd often get released during final roster cutdowns, but it always felt like a formality before Dallas re-signed him after sorting out the rest of the roster.
In today's NFL, it's fair to question whether a team should reserve a roster spot for a one-dimensional depth player. Goodwin rarely saw the field on defense, logging just 62 snaps over eight seasons in Dallas. But his impact on special teams -- and leadership behind the scenes -- was so significant that the Cowboys never had to justify keeping him around.
The 36-year-old tallied over 2,200 special teams snaps with Dallas while accumulating 69 tackles. And in 2021, he became the first player in franchise history to lead the team in special teams tackles for three straight years, per Tommy Yarrish of DallasCowboys.com.
It's rare for a player to last nearly a decade in the NFL without contributing much on offense or defense, but Goodwin earned every year of his career as an elite special teams ace. He's the kind of leader that special teams units dream about, and the Cowboys won't find it easy to replace him.
Congratulations to Goodwin on a fantastic career. We wish him nothing but the best in retirement.
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