The Cowboys have lost one of the most underappreciated members of their roster, with Goodwin retiring this offseason.
The Dallas Cowboys will have to fill a role this offseason after special teams ace C.J. Goodwin announced his retirement from the NFL after 12 seasons.
Goodwin, while likely not a household name to many, was a star on Dallas' special teams unit for eight seasons.
He didn't get the accolades or the fanfare from those outside the building, but he did his job on every snap and was always the one player the Cowboys could count on.
Initially picked up by the Pittsburgh Steelers as an undrafted free agent in 2014, Goodwin didn't play meaningful football until 2016 when he was with the Atlanta Falcons.
He was in Atlanta for one and a half seasons before moving to Arizona, and then in 2018, he landed in Dallas, and that is where he spent the last eight years of his career.
Always one player that was on the roster bubble each year, but the Cowboys always brought him back on a one-year deal because they knew the value of what C.J. brought not only to the team as a whole, but the special teams unit as well.
Since 2018, Goodwin played at least 58 percent of snaps on special teams, and as he mastered his craft, the snap count increased.
In his last two seasons, C.J. played over 80 percent of the Cowboys' special teams snaps as his knack for making a play at a time when his team needed it became a regular occurrence.
Sometimes deployed at corner when the Cowboys needed body, but for the most part, Goodwin was the special teams leader, and he made sure that unit was a well-oiled machine.
Now, he rides off into the sunset without the fanfare or accolades of previous players, but those who know Cowboys football know exactly how important Goodwin was to the team.
Quiet and unassuming, Goodwin did his job week in, week out, without any fuss and handled himself like a true professional.
Now, after 12 years in the NFL, C.J. begins the next chapter of his life after giving the Cowboys everything he had for the previous eight seasons.
