Chris Godwin
It’s 13 Sundays from opening day and Joe wouldn’t wager on Chris Godwin being available.
The Godwin smoke coming from One Buc Palace has a funny odor to it.
Joe’s not sure what to believe when it comes to the big-money receiver, Godwin, who signed a fat three-year contract extension in March.
Obviously, the Bucs believe Godwin will make a full recovery. But when?
Do Bucs officials think Godwin will be healthy enough to play this season like he was in 2022 coming off knee surgery? Back in ’02, Godwin was effective but lacked burst and his stats told that story.
A year later, Godwin was in great physical shape, and was even better in 2024 before his gruesome dislocated ankle in October.
That injury is not something the Bucs want to put a timeline on for recovery. There’s “hope” Godwin is ready for Week 1. But that’s really all the team or Godwin has said — other than that Godwin is working diligently, is seemingly on track, and he’s the utmost professional.
A couple of guys with excellent Bucs sources weighed in on Godwin last last week.
“They’re taking it slow with [Godwin]. But I checked with a source on when he’s going to be ready, and they just said, “ASAP,” because that’s his mindset and he’s been busting his backside to get back as soon as possible,” Jeremy Fowler said on ESPN’s NFL Live show.
“So the target has been Week 1, not a slam dunk right now because it’s a gruesome injury and they have to work through that, but the expectation is they get to training camp and he’s certainly a part of the action in some capacity. … They feel like he’s trending in the right direction.”
Then there’s Brian Baldinger. He got a special invitation to watch closed-to-media Bucs practice on Wednesday. On NFL Network’s The Insiders show, Baldinger explained he drove from his Fort Lauderdale home to Tampa and talked to all kinds of folks at One Buc Palace.
His TV take on Emeka Egbuka, the first-round pick whose drafting the Bucs say had nothing to do with Godwin’s injury?
“He’s going to get a good chance to start right away as Chris Godwin gets healthy from an injury a year ago,” Baldinger said.
Joe just hopes Godwin hasn’t had a setback.
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