Underdogs of the Eagles: Najee Goode

By Paul Bowman, Sports Talk Philly Staff

Leading up to the Eagles playing the New England Patriots in Super Bowl LII on February 4, Sports Talk Philly and Eagledelphia will be taking a look at the unsung players on the Eagles roster that have made their unlikely season and playoff run to the Super Bowl possible. This is Underdogs of the Eagles.

In this edition, we will focus on linebacker and special teams ace Najee Goode.

College Career

Goode was not recruited by any university. He walked on his first semester at West Virginia. By the second semester he was playing, he had a scholarship. He ended up playing all 13 games in all four years of his eligibility for the Mountaineers. In those games, he racked up 157 tackles (22.5 for loss), eight sacks, two interceptions, two forced fumbles and two fumble recoveries.

In addition to playing in every game he could, Goode was made a team captain in his final two years. His versatility was on full display as he played inside linebacker, outside linebacker, special teams, and even took some snaps at defensive end.

When Dana Holgorsen took over as the head coach for West Virginia in Goode’s Senior year, he made it known that it was the defensive’s front seven that were winning games for the school. He told the media that, “We have a very good nucleus of defensive players coming back that can help us be as successful defensively as we have been”. It was Najee Goode and then teammate Bruce Irvin that Holgorsen referred to in saying that.

2012-13 Tampa Bay Buccaneers Campaign

Goode performed well enough in college to warrant being drafted. It was thought that he’d only ever be a two-down linebacker as analysts thought that he would be beneficial to the run defense, but contribute little to a pass defense. Due to those concerns, Goode fell to the fifth round of the draft where he was selected by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Goode spent much of the season as an inactive member of the Buccaneers roster. He was able to play week 3 on special teams due to injuries, but impressed enough that they activated him to play special teams for the final two games of the season.

After establishing himself as a special teams standout, Goode performed well in training camp the previous year. He got more reps in due to an injury that sidelined Adam Hayward, who was ahead of him on the depth chart. Goode played well and, despite being on the bubble, made the final 53-man roster for the second year. His celebration was short lived, however, as in less than 24 hours, the Buccaneers claimed defensive tackle Chris Jones off waivers and waived Goode to make room.

2013-14 Philadelphia Eagles Campaign

Goode’s work that preseason did not go entirely unnoticed. The following day, the Philadelphia Eagles claimed Goode off waivers. As the Eagles were in a 3-4 defense at that time, they needed linebacker depth, which Goode could provide.

This proved to be a huge decision for the Eagles as Goode would come in to play in 14 different games that season. In his limited snaps as a backup, Goode put 15 tackles on the board to go with five assists, a sack and a fumble recovery for a touchdown.

It was at this point that Goode started to turn a corner. He began pushing DeMeco Ryans and Mychal Kendricks to play better. Eagles defensive coordinator Billy Davis Jr. was one of those who was impressed by the sophomore’s performance. "Our scouting department did a great job picking him up off the waiver wire and he learned from scratch. It was a little bit of a slow start for him. In the off-season, he's an athletic young guy and needs some experience but he's good in coverage and against the run and he's a solid tackler.”

2014-17 Philadelphia Eagles Campaigns

Goode entered training camp in 2014 as someone that was being watched. Media coverage talked about how this would be a breakout season for him. He was one of the players to watch. He performed well and made the team as the primary backup inside linebacker.

Veteran DeMeco Ryans even had praise for the young linebacker stating, "He's a guy who knows what to do and there isn't a drop off when Najee comes out on the field, he's a good player. He'll grow to be a great player in this league as he continues to progress."

Goode got right into the game, playing Week 1 against the Jacksonville Jaguars, but his season was not meant to be. He exited the game and was placed on injured reserve due to a torn pectoral muscle.

Coming back from the injury proved difficult for Goode. He struggled in training camp and, for the third time in his four years playing, he was cut. The Eagles resigned him just a few weeks later to provide depth when Kiko Alonso and Mychal Kendricks both had uncertain statuses and appeared in 14 games following that. He recorded only 15 defensive tackles in those games. He was able to play on 70% of the special teams plays, however, rebuilding his value there with 12 additional tackles and a blocked punt returned for a touchdown against the New England Patriots.

The 2016-17 season brought more of the same. Goode was one of the final cuts in training camp, but was brought back to provide depth just one week later. He rarely got on the field as a linebacker, but played every game on special teams while recording 12 tackles with the unit.

2017-18 Philadelphia Eagles Campaign

This season seemed like it would be the most difficult for Goode to make the roster. With Nigel Bradham solidifying himself as the team’s top outside linebacker, Mychal Kendricks showing great improvements, Jordan Hicks solidifying himself as the leader of the defense, and Joe Walker returning hot from the injury that had sidelined him the prior preseason. There seemed to be little room for Goode on the roster.

He made the roster once more as depth and a special teamer. He took a larger role in the defense when Jordan Hicks was placed on injured reserve. Both Goode and Joe Walker filled in for the injured linebacker. That is, until the Eagles signed verteran linebakcer and former Super Bowl champion Dannell Ellerbe. Goode played a few more games, but once Ellerbe had learned the defense, Goode went back to being a backup. He started to get more playing time not soon after when Joe Walker had his own season ending injury before the last game of the season.

At the conclusion of the regular season, head coach Doug Pederson preached the importance of Goode to the team. “He’s one of our core special teams players. He’s been a role player and situational guy at linebacker. He’s really done a nice job for us.”

His role was set to expand even more. While he continued to play between 60-75% of snaps on special teams in the postseason, he also played 9% of defensive snaps at linebacker for the Eagles in the NFC Championship game because Dannell Ellerbe was inactive with a back injury.

Najee Goode has never been assured anything. This will be his seventh season in the league and he has been cut three times. He reached the point where he was about to break out, only to have his season ended early due to injury. Now, in his third stint with the Eagles, Goode, along with safety Malcolm Jenkins, is prepared to be the primary backup middle linebacker for the Eagles when they play the New England Patriots in Super Bowl LII. Perhaps he’ll be able to build off of the blocked punt he returned for a touchdown in his last game against the Patriots in his Super Bowl LII performance.