Jonathan Goodwin was a thorn in the Carolina Panthers' side for years during his prolific stint with the New Orleans Saints. Now, the accomplished ex-offensive lineman has joined the good guys.
The Panthers confirmed that Goodwin has joined the staff as part of the Bill Walsh Diversity Coaching Fellowship, which has been around for more than three decades and was implemented to increase the number of full-time minority coaches with previous playing experience.
This was a popular hire, but Goodwin was the enemy for a long time. He spent five seasons with the Saints between 2006 and 2010, earning one Pro Bowl selection and winning a Super Bowl for good measure. The Michigan product even finished his playing career in New Orleans during the 2014 campaign, turning out 195 times over 13 years.
Jonathan Goodwin aiming to make an instant impact on Carolina Panthers centers
After getting experience with the Los Angeles Chargers as an offensive assistant last season, he's now in Carolina. And considering the team's run game coordinator is also his brother, Harold Goodwin, the emotional connection cannot be overstated.
The significance isn't lost on Goodwin, who's embracing the opportunity to gain more experience and is eager to lend his expertise to Carolina's crop of talented centers to ensure they are ready to hit the ground running in Week 1. His brother is also confident that he can have a big impact, urging players to buy in quickly.
"But I told the guys, especially the centers in the room, to soak up the knowledge. You've got a guy who played 13 years, been in two Super Bowls, won one, and he's played a high level, made a Pro Bowl. He's got a lot of skin in the game as far as playing position. So for those guys to turn around and look at somebody that actually played in the NFL for a long time at a high level with Drew Brees and Alex Smith, he's learned things from them that he can share with them as far as how a center and a quarterback see the game from that lens. It's good for everybody."Harold Goodwin via Panthers.com
The Panthers' center dynamic is an interesting one. Austin Corbett and Cade Mays will fight it out for the starting job, but Brady Christensen could also fill in if injury strikes. It'll be one of the hottest camp battles of the summer, and Goodwin will be watching events unfold closely.
Any help Goodwin can provide will be a bonus. And given everything he accomplished as a player, the trio above would be wise to soak up every piece of information possible to refine their respective crafts.
There's a strong bond between the Goodwin brothers. It's allowed the new appointment to transition seamlessly into his new role, and having someone with his glowing credentials is only going to help the Panthers as they look to take a significant leap in the second year under head coach Dave Canales.
That's not good news for his old team, but Goodwin is on a new path now.