If Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver Chris Godwin believed there was going to be some kind of grace period upon his return after almost a year away from football, his Week 4 debut in a 31-25 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles surely relieved him of such notions.
Godwin looked rusty in his return as the Buccaneers lost their first game of the season and he only had 3 receptions for 26 yards on a whopping 10 targets from quarterback Baker Mayfield.
In a game where there ended up being just the smallest margin of error, Godwin very well could have made the difference with a few more catches.
Bleacher Report’s Brent Sobleski singled Godwin out as his team’s “Biggest Loser” following loss to the defending Super Bowl champions.
Mayfield also targeted rookie wide receiver and first round pick Emeka Egbuka 10 times, but Egbuka had 4 receptions for 101 yards and 1 touchdown.
With Mike Evans out multiple weeks with a hamstring injury, the Buccaneers badly needed wide receiver Chris Godwin to get back on the field,” B/R’s Brent Sobleski wrote. Godwin did make his return Sunday against the Philadelphia Eagles, playing for the first time since an ankle injury cut his 2024 season short. Granted, rust is absolutely a factor given how long Godwin was sidelined. But his first outing of 2025 is one best forgotten — despite tying rookie Emeka Egbuka for the team lead in targets with 10, Godwin caught just three passes 26 yards.
Godwin missed the last 13 regular season games and one playoff game after suffering a gruesome, dislocated left ankle in a Monday Night Football loss to the Baltimore Ravens on October 21, 2024.
BACK TO WORK,” the Buccaneers wrote on their official X account just hours before they faced the Eagles.
Another post from the Buccaneers official account showed a video of Godwin’s highlights with his voice in the background.
“I’ll put the work in to not only be the player that I was, but to be better and I take that very, very seriously,” Godwin said. “I recognize how rare this opportunity is … I’m look forward to creating a lot more great memories and chasing more championships.”
The margin for error for Godwin only gets smaller with the Buccaneers facing a murderer’s row of games over the next 3 weeks.
Tampa Bay’s next 3 games are against teams that all look like they could be in the playoffs; at the Seattle Seahawks in Week 5, home to face the San Francisco 49ers in Week 6, then a Monday Night Football road game at the Detroit Lions in Week 7.
Evans isn’t the only wide receiver the Buccaneers are missing. One of last year’s starters, Jalen McMillan, severely sprained his neck against the Pittsburgh Steelers on August 16 and won’t be back until a Week 10 home game against the New England Patriots.
One shining light for the Buccaneers has been the play of Egbuka, the No. 19 overall pick in the 2025 NFL draft. The Ohio State product leads the Buccaneers with 18 receptions for 282 yards and is tied for third in the NFL with 4 receiving touchdowns.
Tony Adame covers the NFL for Heavy.com, with a focus on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Washington Commanders, Dallas Cowboys, Baltimore Ravens, Philadelphia Eagles and Denver Broncos. A veteran sports writer and editor since 2004, his work has been featured at Stadium Talk, Yardbarker, NW Florida Daily News and Pensacola News Journal. More about Tony Adame
