NFL free agency: Browns make WR signing official

The Cleveland Browns busy offseason has hit a kind of lull with two weeks until their first selection in the NFL draft. After signing and re-signing a number of players, as well as trading for WR Elijah Moore, the Browns have mostly turned their attention to the draft.

Only a visit from DT Al Woods hinted at NFL free agency still being active in Berea.

One of the reported signings, just following the Moore trade, was WR Marquise Goodwin. That reported agreement happened on March 24th. Our Barry Shuck did a great profile on Goodwin where we learned about his stories of heartache and tragedy as well as his Olympic-level speed.

While the deal was reported, the team had not made the signing official. Some began to wonder if there was a hiccup with the agreement but not anymore as the team announced the move:

Goodwin had visited with the team just prior to the signing.

On the team’s website, Goodwin’s speed was noted:

The Browns on Friday signed WR Marquise Goodwin, who will bring plenty of speed and a decade of experience playing in the NFL to the Browns’ offense.

Goodwin should also bring another speed gear to the offense — he ran a 4.27 40-yard dash at the combine and has averaged 16.2 yards per catch over his career.

A third-round pick in 2013, Cleveland will be Goodwin’s fifth team. He had his most success with the San Francisco 49ers with 91 receptions for 1,543 yards and seven touchdowns in three seasons. As those numbers indicate, Goodwin is not going to get regular targets but is going to take the top off of a defense and make them pay if they don’t provide safety help.

With Amari Cooper, Donovan Peoples-Jones, David Bell and Moore, Goodwin can help his teammates without needing the ball thrown his way very often. When he does get touches, he makes the most of them. Last year, with just 27 receptions, he produced four touchdowns and 18 first downs.