Back in late October, Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver Chris Godwin suffered a devastating injury that ended his 2024 NFL season.
Godwin got dragged to the ground by Baltimore Ravens linebacker Roquan Smith and dislocated his ankle, which required season-ending surgery. The hit was reviewed by the league as a potential hip-drop tackle, but it got ultimately determined that it was not a hip-drop.
Almost six months later, Bucs coach Todd Bowles does not yet know if the wideout will be ready to start the 2025 campaign.
“I’m hoping he’s on the field Week 1,” Bowles said about Godwin Tuesday, via Underdog. “I’ll have more to know about that after [this] month goes on — see how he feels when he gets running and practicing and everything else.”
Godwin signed a three-year, $66 million contract with the Bucs this offseason, reportedly turning down more money from the New England Patriots so that he could stay with the franchise that drafted him in the third round back in 2017.
Godwin has now suffered a season-ending injury twice in the last four seasons, having torn his ACL in 2021. He returned from that injury to post career numbers in 2022, registering 104 catches for 1,023 yards that season. He put together another 1,000-yard campaign in 2023 and was averaging career-best figures in both catches and yards per game in 2024 before suffering the ankle injury.
It would be a blow to Tampa Bay’s offense if Godwin is unable to return for the start of the 2025 season. There were similar rumors about his potential unavailability to start the year in 2022, only for him to return for the opener, during which he suffered another injury. Perhaps that experience will lead the Bucs to err on the side of caution this time around — which could be why Bowles is merely hoping to see the receiver out there to start the season, rather than being sure of it.
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