PHILADELPHIA – Eagles catcher Marquise Goodwin has chosen not to participate in the 2020 season due to coronavirus concerns, a league source confirmed.
Family is the most important thing to Goodwin. His wife, Morgan, had a baby girl in February after suffering multiple miscarriages.
NFL Network was the first to report Goodwin’s decision to opt out.
In need of more speed at catcher position, the Eagles acquired Goodwin from the San Francisco 49ers in April. He was part of the “track team” Philadelphia met this offseason together with draft picks and other burners Jalen Reagor, John Hightower and Quez Watkins.
The rookies will have to regain some of the slack now, as the Eagles chose not to aggressively search for wide receiver updates in free agency.
They have a healthy return from DeSean Jackson. Jackson, 33, played in just three games last season due to an abdominal break. Alshon Jeffery, meanwhile, continues to recover from a Lisfranc injury.
“He’s doing extremely well,” coach Doug Pederson said of Jeffery. “He will continue to work and prepare. I do not put schedules for the players, but when he is ready, he will be ready and he will return to the field with us.”
The Eagles would probably lean more on sophomore player JJ Arcega-Whiteside if Jeffery is not available. Greg Ward is online to get play time from the slot.
Goodwin, 29, played his first four years with the Buffalo Bills before joining the Niners in 2017. His first year in San Francisco was the best as a professional, as he caught 56 balls for 962 yards.
He faced knee and foot problems last season, played in nine games and had 12 catches for 186 yards.
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