Despite the fact that the Buccaneers could have Chris Godwin back by the first week of the season, it doesn’t mean they need to use him there.
Chris Godwin could be back and ready to play for the Buccaneers in the first game of the season against the Cowboys. This is a dicey topic that could change at any minute, but the current thought is that there is a chance for Godwin to be on the field if his ACL tear recovery continues to go well.
Knees are weird. You can go through every step of the recovery process and work you way back up to game speed in as safe a manner as possible and still never get back to 100% after tearing your ACL.
Some guys come back and tear it again immediately. Other guys last longer, but this is the type of injury that has a way of popping back up after it happens for the first time.
None of this is to say that Godwin’s career is over or that this will always be a problem in his game, but this is something that he and the Bucs will always need to be cautious about.
It is for this reason that the Buccaneers need to be extremely cautious about using Godwin in the first game possible.
Even after going through the process and that date in September being the likely return date, putting Godwin on the field in that game is likely only going to hurt.
The star receiver for the Bucs won’t get a full training camp to ramp up to full speed which means that he runs the risk of another injury in that first game or not playing up to his full potential and hurting the team.
Tampa is going to lose games in 2022-likely several more than they did in 2021. Putting a large amount of pressure on Godwin in these high-risk games could only take away from the team’s chances at the end of the season.
Obviously this is a decision that will come down to Godwin, the team, and the trainers that are far more qualified than anyone else to comment on the topic, but the Bucs need to can the ideas of Godwin playing early if there is even the smallest bit of doubt.
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