The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have a ton of talent at the receiver position. Mike Evans is the clear cut number one, but with DeSean Jackson and Adam Humphries leaving this off-season the successor in line is Chris Godwin. Is he ready for a larger role?
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers had an explosive passing offense last season. While they struggled to score they moved the ball effectively. With a better coaching staff in place, the young wide receiver Chris Godwin could have a breakout season in 2019.
Head Coach Bruce Arians is an offensive guru. Working with some of the elites in the game; Peyton Manning, Ben Roethlisberger, Andrew Luck, Arians is going to give Jameis Winston all the tools to succeed this season. Chris Godwin should receive the biggest benefit from the offensive changes. The Bucs had five receivers with over 500 yards last season, and with two of them gone there are more than 1000 yards up for grabs.
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Chris Godwin is slated to play in the slot and that’s one of Jameis Winstons go-to spots. Godwin catches 62% of his targets while averaging 14.7 yards per catch. With 180 targets going to Humphries and Jackson and Godwin getting 95 of his own, he should easily see 130-140 targets this season. In his career, he averages one touchdown every 11 catches. So if he stays consistent he should be at 80 catches, 1200 yards, and 10 touchdowns.
Those numbers may sound a bit extreme but it isn’t impossible. Juju Smith-Schuester and Antonio Brown each had over 1200 yards last season. When Larry Fitzgerald played in the slot for Bruce Arians, he had 325 catches, 3,394 yards, and 21 touchdowns from 2015-17. So Godwin getting those numbers is not out of the realm of possibility. Do I think he will reach all those numbers, no, but he should see an increase in every category.
The Buccaneers have something Bruce Arians never had before. Mike Evans, OJ Howard, Cameron Brate, and even the new guy Breshard Perriman are all solid targets for Winston. Godwin is for sure a top three go-to-guy for Jameis, but this new offense may spread it around. Don’t expect an All-Pro season from Chris Godwin but Pro-Bowl consideration is certainly on the table.
