In a move that almost everyone saw coming the Saints have finally struck a post June 1st deal with Jonathan Goodwin. Goodwin was of course the starting center on the Saints’ 2009 Super Bowl champion team and played on the Saints from 2006-2010. The last three seasons he’s been the starting center for the San Francisco 49ers, never missing a single start. Goodwin is what I viewed as the missing link to the 53 man roster and offensive line, a veteran presence that can teach good habits to the younger players while still being able to perform as a starter. Despite his age of 35 years, Goodwin has maintained an extremely high level of performance and durability. I have a hard time seeing Tim Lelito beat him out at center assuming he remains healthy, but either way he’s a very high character player that’s a great person to have in the locker room.
This pick up makes the team’s depth and roster feel pretty complete at this point. Of course drops in performance and injuries could change that as the 2014 season takes shape, but for now a starting center felt like the missing link to this team. Getting a guy as good as Goodwin that already has chemistry developed with Drew Brees is a big thing.
Welcome back Goody!
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