Bills receiver is turning heads in camp after Olympic bid falls short
Beyond Sammy Watkins, the Buffalo Bills are a bit thin at wide receiver. They expected to be stretched even further at the position earlier in the offseason with Marquise Goodwin pursuing his dream of being an Olympic athlete on USA’s long jump team.
Unfortunately, Goodwin fell short in his attempt to make the squad. Had he gone to Rio, Goodwin would have missed most, if not all of training camp. Instead, he’s practicing with the team and putting on a show.
"What a weapon he is, huh," offensive coordinator Greg Roman said, via the team's official website. "World-class speed. The guy has got a different attitude about him and a different look in his eye this year and I like it. He's showing up every single day.
“He's somebody who is on a mission."
Goodwin reportedly has a strong hold on the Bills’ No. 3 receiver job behind Watkins and Robert Woods. That’s quite the change from where he would have been had he made it to Rio: likely looking for another job in the NFL.
"The fact that he's here is more to our gain and I get that," Rex Ryan said. "But as an organization, we were unanimous that if he had an opportunity to represent our country that we were all in, but I'm glad he's here now."
Goodwin has been running as the third receiver with the first-team offense, which is a good sign. With his speed and athletic ability, he could certainly make a big impact as a deep threat and return man.
Making it to Rio would have been an incredible accomplishment, but it may have cost him a job in the process.
