For the first time in seemingly forever, Tampa Bay is stacked at the Wide Receiver position. Mike Evans has already reached a superstar status. DeSean Jackson is known for being a very dangerous homerun-threat due to his unparalleled quickness and speed.
Last year, the Buccaneers drafted another weapon at the position in Chris Godwin out of Penn State. Godwin did not see the field very much last season because of the tremendous competition. When Jackson got hurt, Godwin ended up getting more snaps, however, and he did manage to haul in 34 passes for a total of 525 receiving yards and one Touchdown, which was the game winner in the last seconds of the final game of the year. Obviously, Godwin has proven he is a force to be reckoned with and he continues to do so in this year’s OTA.
The coaches are thrilled with Godwin’s work ethic. After shining in practice with a stunning one-handed grab, Koetter said about Godwin: “He’s had a real good offseason… Chris is a good player, so it’s not surprising, but he’s had a good offseason overall!”.
Tampa Bay Offensive Coordinator Todd Monken praised Godwin as well, saying “I see him as a starter… He’s earned the right to be a starter. Whatever we’ve asked him to do he’s done it well and he will only continue to get better. Why? Because he’s big, he’s fast, he’s physical, he’s smart and he’s going to continue to develop. And it’s important to him. He takes care of his body, does it exactly the way you want.”
Whether or not Godwin will make big strides in his second year with the team remains to be seen. The coaching staff certainly believes that Godwin will be a key contributor sooner rather than later.
