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The Tampa Bay Buccaneers will start training camp without wide receiver Chris Godwin Jr. as he continues to recover from an ankle injury. Godwin dislocated his left ankle in Week 7 versus the Baltimore Ravens. He underwent surgery, forcing him to sit out the remainder of the season. It remains unclear when he can return to the field.
The Buccaneers could sure use Godwin, a former All-Pro Second Team member, to shore up their offense. But as of now, the team is being extra cautious with him. Tampa Bay coach Todd Bowles noted that Godwin is staying positive with his situation.
“He’s working his way back. He had a procedure. He’s feeling well. He’s in good spirits and he’s working his way back. When I see more and he does more, I’ll have more news. But right now there’s no update on him. But Chris, hopefully, will be back very soon. I can’t tell you when, but he’s in good spirits and he’s moving around and he’s getting going and he’s ramping up (activity),” said Bowles in an interview with JoeBucsFan.com.
Bowles added that the 29-year-old Godwin may suit up in Week 1 of the upcoming season.
Despite his serious injury, the Buccaneers signed Godwin to a three-year contract extension worth $66 million this offseason. It showed the team's full trust in his recovery.
Drafted by the Buccaneers in the third round in 2017, Godwin tallied three consecutive seasons with at least 1,000 receiving yards. He was on track for a fourth straight one before getting sidelined.
Last month, Buccaneers general manager Jason Licht expressed cautious optimism with Godwin, stressing that they're “100% with him.”
“We’re hopeful it’s Week 1 (when he returns) but nobody can guarantee that. We’ll see how it goes over the summer, but if the situation arises where he has to sit out a couple of games, we’re going to be okay. We’ll be better with him, but we’ll be okay. But we want to have Chris for the next three years,” said Licht in a report from Tampa Bay Times' Rick Stroud.
Without Godwin, rookie Emeka Egbuka is expected to fill in the spot. The pass catcher from Ohio State was drafted by the Buccaneers as the 19th overall pick.
