C. J. Goodwin facts for kids
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Goodwin with the Dallas Cowboys in 2024
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| No. 29 – Dallas Cowboys | |||||||
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| Position: | Cornerback | ||||||
| Personal information | |||||||
| Born: | February 4, 1990 Wheeling, West Virginia, U.S. |
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| Height: | 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) | ||||||
| Weight: | 190 lb (86 kg) | ||||||
| Career information | |||||||
| High school: | Linsly School (Wheeling, West Virginia) |
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| College: | Bethany (WV) (2010–2011) Fairmont State (2012) California (PA) (2013) |
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| Undrafted: | 2014 | ||||||
| Career history | |||||||
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| Roster status: | Active | ||||||
| Career NFL statistics as of Week 17, 2024 | |||||||
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| Player stats at PFR | |||||||
Charaun Jareé "C. J." Goodwin (born February 4, 1990) is an American professional football player. He plays as a cornerback for the Dallas Cowboys in the National Football League (NFL). C. J. Goodwin joined the NFL as an undrafted free agent in 2014. He played college basketball at Bethany College. He also played college football at Fairmont State University and the California University of Pennsylvania.
Contents
C. J. Goodwin's Early Life and Sports Journey
C. J. Goodwin was born on February 4, 1990, in Wheeling, West Virginia. He went to The Linsly School in his hometown. Interestingly, he did not start playing football until his last year of high school. He became a starter at wide receiver right away. Besides football, C. J. also played basketball and competed in track.
College Sports Career
After high school, C. J. Goodwin first attended Bethany College. He played basketball there for two years. He then decided to transfer to another school. He did not play football during his time at Bethany.
Playing Football at Fairmont State
C. J. Goodwin moved to Fairmont State University for his junior year. He played an intramural basketball game against the school's football coaches. His father and college roommate, Dewey McDonald, encouraged him to try out for the football team. He decided to join the Fighting Falcons.
In his first game, he caught 6 passes for 56 yards. Later, he had an 83-yard touchdown catch against West Liberty University. He also scored two touchdowns in a game against West Virginia Wesleyan. He finished his first season at Fairmont State with 24 catches and 440 receiving yards. He also scored 4 touchdowns. After a great first year, he earned a scholarship to keep playing for Fairmont.
Moving to California University of Pennsylvania
After his coach at Fairmont left, C. J. Goodwin transferred to California University of Pennsylvania. He wanted to keep playing for his former coach, Mike Lopez. Since he had already graduated from Fairmont, he could play right away. He did not have to wait a year like some transfer students.
Goodwin scored his first touchdown for California (PA) against Kutztown. He mostly played on special teams during his senior year. He finished the season with 11 catches for 126 yards and one touchdown. He played in 11 games and started one.
C. J. Goodwin's Professional Football Career
After college, C. J. Goodwin hoped to join the NFL. He was not a well-known player because he played at smaller colleges. However, he had good physical abilities. He was not invited to the main NFL tryout event, the NFL Combine. But he did well at a smaller tryout held by the Detroit Lions.
Starting with the Pittsburgh Steelers
C. J. Goodwin was not chosen in the 2014 NFL draft. But he got a chance to try out for the Pittsburgh Steelers. A former NFL player, Mel Blount, helped him get the opportunity. C. J. had worked for Blount for many years. On June 4, 2014, he signed a contract with the Steelers. He was later released and then joined their practice squad. He signed another contract in January 2015 but was waived again in August.
Time with the Atlanta Falcons
On November 3, 2015, C. J. Goodwin joined the Atlanta Falcons practice squad. He signed a new contract with the Falcons in January 2016. During training camp, he changed his position from wide receiver to cornerback. In 2016, he played in 14 games. He made 7 tackles and helped break up 2 passes. He also made 10 tackles on special teams.
Goodwin and the Falcons made it to Super Bowl LI in February 2017. They played against the New England Patriots. The Falcons lost a close game in overtime. C. J. had 2 tackles in that game. In 2017, he played in 12 games. He made 5 tackles and 3 special teams tackles before being waived in December.
Brief Stints with Other Teams
After leaving the Falcons, C. J. Goodwin played for a few other NFL teams. In December 2017, he was picked up by the Arizona Cardinals. He played in two games for them. In May 2018, he was claimed by the New York Giants. He was waived shortly after. The next day, he was claimed by the San Francisco 49ers. He was waived by them in July. In August 2018, he signed with the Cincinnati Bengals. He was waived again but then joined their practice squad.
Joining the Dallas Cowboys
On October 9, 2018, the Dallas Cowboys signed C. J. Goodwin from the Bengals practice squad. He was put on injured reserve later that month because of a broken forearm. He returned in December to play on special teams. He played in two games that season. He finished with one special teams tackle.
In 2019, C. J. Goodwin played in all 16 games for the first time in his career. He became a very important player on the Cowboys' special teams. He made 2 defensive tackles and led the team with 10 special teams tackles. He had 3 special teams tackles in a game against the Chicago Bears.
Goodwin re-signed with the Cowboys in March 2020. In Week 2, he recovered an onside kick against his old team, the Atlanta Falcons. This play helped the Cowboys win the game in a big comeback. This play became known as the 'watermelon' kick. In Week 16, he helped the Cowboys win against the Philadelphia Eagles. He was used to help stop the Eagles' quarterback, Jalen Hurts.
In March 2021, C. J. Goodwin signed a new two-year contract with the Cowboys. He played in all 17 games that season. He made 10 special teams tackles. He was the first player in Cowboys history to lead the team in special teams tackles for three years in a row.
Goodwin was waived by the Cowboys in August 2022 but re-signed to their practice squad. He played in all 17 games again. He finished second in special teams tackles that season.
In March 2023, he re-signed with the Cowboys for another year. He was released in August but re-signed to the practice squad. He was moved to the main roster in September. He was placed on injured reserve in October due to a pectoral injury. In March 2024, C. J. Goodwin re-signed with the Cowboys again.
C. J. Goodwin's Philanthropy and Personal Life
C. J. Goodwin started the PeGa Foundation. This foundation is named after his late father, Perry Galloway Jr. The PeGa Foundation is a non-profit group in his hometown of Wheeling, West Virginia. It helps mentor young people. C. J. spends a lot of his free time helping and speaking to schools and youth groups.
Personal Life
C. J. Goodwin has a daughter.
