ComPewter Analysis: Chris Godwin atop every WR ranking for Buccaneers

As the Buccaneers head into their bye week, we take a look at wide receiver Chris Godwin, who is among the league’s best pass catchers thus far.

Is it time to call Chris Godwin, wide receiver for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, the best pass catcher in the NFL yet? Judging by every major statistical and analytical category, the answer would seem to be yes; Godwin currently sits atop the league in just about every category your mind could imagine and more.

As a rookie, Godwin managed only 34 catches, 525 yards, and one score on a very limited 55 targets. At this point in his career, Godwin was fighting for reps with veterans such as Mike Evans, DeSean Jackson, and Adam Humphries; while all of these three names stuck around for 2018, Godwin saw his role in the offense expand for the pewter and red.

Last season, Godwin managed to catch an extra 25 passes on 40 additional targets from his rookie season, finishing with 842 yards and seven touchdowns on those 59 catches. This offseason, as Jackson and Humphries both departed from Tampa, head coach Bruce Arians was frank about the importance of Godwin; what we did not know is that Arians was underselling his importance.

In his third season in the NFL after being selected in the third round of the 2017 draft by the Bucs, Godwin has shown steady improvements in every season. This year, however, the Penn State product has taken a massive leap forward, so large in fact, that he is now in the conversation as the best wide receiver in the league.