Don't write off Marquise Goodwin after one down season. He had his best season as a pro during his first year with head coach Kyle Shanahan and the San Francisco 49ers. Goodwin registered career-highs in catches (56) and receiving yards (962) in 2017.
Goodwin caught a career-high four touchdowns this past season, but those other two categories saw a significant drop in production. He finished 2018 with 23 receptions for 395 yards. It wasn't quite the encore performance the veteran receiver or the fans anticipated.
Like much of the 49ers roster, Goodwin had to deal with injuries last year and even missed a couple of games due to a personal issue. He started eight games last season — his fewest since 2015 — yet managed 17.2 yards per reception, which ranked seventh in the NFL among receivers with more than 25 targets.
Shanahan believes the 49ers have the most depth since he took over the team in 2017. Goodwin could be one of the beneficiaries of that increased depth.
"I think we always have a pretty good idea of who Quise will be and what he can do," Shanahan said this past week. "The benefit this year is that there's other people to take some pressure off. You know, Quise, since we've gotten him here, he's had to play a lot more than you would like. He's had to do some routes a lot more than you would like. He's capable of doing it all, but you like to put people on what they're best at and things like that.
"We haven't had the necessary depth here and some players to take off that. That's what we tried to do more this offseason. It's what we tried to do last offseason. We drafted a receiver two years in a row in the second round hoping that can take some of the pressure off of Quise."
Those receivers were Dante Pettis in 2018 and Deebo Samuel this offseason. The team also added another wideout in this year's draft — Jalen Hurd. That's a lot of youth added to a group filled with players who possess very different physical traits.
Cornerback Jason Verrett recently identified one trait the 49ers receivers share: They find ways to get open.
"If you study Kyle Shanahan, you know that he always likes guys that can get open," Verrett said on Wednesday. "His style of coaching from Washington and Atlanta is all about timing and being able to create space. With Deebo, Marquise Goodwin, Pettis, Hurd, all those guys that we have, they're all unique in their own ways. Their job is to get open."
What does Goodwin say to the 49ers bolstering his position group?
"Thank you, coach," he responded when told of Shanahan's remarks.
The comment is just one example of Goodwin being a team player. Some fans will argue that his interest in the 2020 Olympics (which will likely coincide with part of training camp next year) is an example against it. Still, Goodwin is less focused on personal achievements on the football field and just wants to do his part to help the 49ers win. It's a mentality that is found across San Francisco's roster.
"If we're winning games, I could have no catches," Pro Bowl tight end George Kittle said earlier this month, "and as long as I do well in the run game, I'll be happy."
The 49ers passed on trying to acquire veteran wide receiver Antonio Brown this offseason. A lot of that probably had to do with the culture Shanahan and general manager John Lynch are trying to build in Santa Clara. They have filled the roster with team-first players. The strategy hasn't produced too many wins — yet. Shanahan and Lynch hope those are coming while the players feel they are on the cusp of something special.
If Goodwin has to give up some stats on the way to making that happen, then so be it.
"If he doesn't want me in there every down, then that's what it is," Goodwin added. "If he does, then that's what it is. I'm here to help the 49ers. I'm not here for Marquise Goodwin's ego. I'm not here for myself. I'm here to lay it out for my team."
Health will play a significant part in Goodwin's production this season, much like the rest of the 49ers roster. Shanahan has never doubted the receiver's talent. That's why he brought him in from Buffalo when everyone else saw him as a one-trick pony — a speed player whose best chances of impacting the game laid outside the numbers.
Goodwin proved to be much more than that in 2017. The 49ers hope he can remain healthy and do it again this season.
"Quise looks good all the time in the offseason because he's healthy," Shanahan continued. "He can run, and he's extremely hard to cover. When Quise is like that, he plays at a very high level and I think Quise had been in a good spot.
"He's been great here in his third year, being around the guys, having a lot more youth in that room, too. He's been great with the new coaches, and I think Quise and us, we're just hoping that we can just keep this going and keep him healthy.
"I think it'll be easier to do that with some of the other guys that we brought in."
