Latest Dallas Cowboys retirement news sets the table for roster surprises before the start of the 2026 NFL season
One of the Dallas Cowboys’ 2025 captains is retiring from the NFL. And the news reaffirms an overlooked need on the team heading into the 2026 season.
Well, it’s official. For a while there, cornerback and specialist C.J. Goodwin felt like an inevitable member of the Dallas Cowboys roster.
With 108 games with the team to his name, he was the second-most tenured player on the roster, only behind quarterback Dak Prescott. That’s why even though he wasn’t re-signed earlier in the year, I still wondered if someway, somehow, Goodwin would find his way back into the team.
But that won’t happen. On Saturday night, Goodwin held a celebration of his 12-year career. The party served as an announcement he is retiring from the NFL.
At 36 years old, the decision isn’t a shocker. However, it’s a reminder that roster surprises may lay ahead for the Cowboys as Goodwin’s departure leaves a void on the team.
Cowboys must replace Goodwin’s ace role
Last year, Goodwin led the Cowboys on special teams snaps with 80% of them, per Pro Football Reference. That wasn’t anything new.
Goodwin led the Cowboys in special teams snaps in four of his eight years on the team, including in 2025. He was second in two other seasons. The only exceptions were his first year on the team (2018) and 2023, when he missed multiple games due to injury.
Now, the Cowboys need to find their new special teams ace to replace Goodwin, who was also a captain in 2025. With such a need, roster surprises may very well lie ahead. This time of the year, roster projections tend to highlight the needs on offense and defense, but it’s common for special teams to be tiebreakers in several position battles.
Candidates to replace Goodwin
Goodwin’s specialty was to play as a gunner o punt coverage and a defender on kickoff coverage. He made a career out of making open-field tackles and forcing fair catches deep in enemy territory.
Though players such as LB Marist Liufau and TE Brevyn Spann-Ford logged plenty of special teams snaps, I believe Dallas will likely look for a similar build to Goodwin’s to replace such production.
A few candidates come to mind.
- S P.J. Locke: He played in 42% of the Broncos special teams snap counts last year and is projected as a backup on defense.
- S Markquese Bell: Bell’s path to the 53-man roster got very complicated with the many additions to the safety room in the offseason. But he did log a 63% snap count on special teams last season. Perhaps he’s an early favorite for special teams coordinator Nick Sorensen.
- S Alijah Clark: It is difficult to not think of Clark after that highlight forced fumble he had versus the Philadelphia Eagles last November. Clark rose to a bigger role late in the season, consistently logging over 50% of the snaps on special teams from Week 11 forward.
Either of the last two could be seen as roster surprises once roster cutdown day comes around. After all, the safety room already includes Caleb Downs, Jalen Thompson, Malik Hooker, and Locke. But make no mistake. Special teams is a major piece to the puzzle of winning in the NFL.
The Cowboys have an 80% snap count to replace. Let’s see who steps up to the plate.