Buccaneers need to make a change with WR Chris Godwin

The Buccaneers will need to get creative to stay relevant in 2022.

The NFL is changing at a breakneck pace. Teams are adapting on a daily basis, and the offensive changes over the past twenty years have made the game unrecognizable from its early counterparts. The Buccaneers have done well at adapting to these changes, but they can’t slow down without Tom Brady at the helm.

The next few years should prove to be difficult without Brady. Any team losing its MVP-caliber franchise leader will struggle. But Tampa needs to keep moving forward, and they need to do everything in their power to make life easy for Brady’s replacement.

The most obvious way to do this is to re-sign Chris Godwin. Godwin is likely the most complete wide receiver on the team and his absence was a major reason why the playoff run ended early, and the Bucs would be out of their minds to let him walk due to money.

Godwin dominates as a pass-catcher, blocker, and is better than almost every other receiver in the league after the catch. Sure, the injury may hurt some of Godwin’s abilities as a runner, but he should still return as one of the best ball carriers on the team next season.

With that being said, Godwin’s role should change to reflect the modern game. Chris Godwin legitimately is one of the best runners on the team; so much so that short passes to him almost serve the exact same purpose as a run.

So why don’t the Bucs consider giving Godwin reps at running back similar to Deebo Samuel?

Samuel has taken the league by storm as a “wide back” for the 49ers in their deep playoff run, and many of the praises that analysts sang about Samuel are extremely similar to what they said about Godwin.

This isn’t even a new take for Bucs fans. For the better part of two years now, fans that have been frustrated with the lackluster run game have bemoaned the fact that Godwin would probably be better in that role, and Samuel’s success only proves this to be true.

Chris Godwin is a playmaker, one that would succeed at any position on the field where he can get the ball in his hand. Managing the injury is key, but if Godwin is good to go, there is no reason why he shouldn’t get a few touches per game out of the backfield to take advantage of his incredible talent.

And for what its worth, regardless of who comes in at quarterback, the Buccaneers signal caller is taking a step back. Handing the ball off to Chris Godwin will be a sure thing that the offense would like to rely on with some question marks at QB.

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