Tampa Bay Buccaneers veteran wide receiver Chris Godwin Jr. used to be the best No. 2 guy in the game and one of the best overall receivers in the NFL. With Mike Evans out of town and now balling out with the Super Bowl-contending San Francisco 49ers, Godwin was expected to step up into Evans's shoes as the new No. 1.
Instead, Godwin has been one of the least effective wide receivers in the NFL. Even though Godwin is catching about three quarters of the passes thrown his way, those receptions aren't resulting in any game-changing production. Godwin is averaging just three catches for 29 yards per game. His 8.9 yards per reception average is the lowest of his 10-year career. Simply put, Godwin looks like a shell of his former self.
Breaking down the numbers further, it's patently obvious that offensive coordinator Zac Robinson, quarterback Baker Mayfield, and the entire Buccaneers organization isn't doing enough to put Godwin in a better position to succeed. They are holding him back and hurting themselves by not utilizing by far their best receiver, especially at moving the chains.
The Buccaneers need to get Chris Godwin more involved
The Buccaneers quarterbacks have a QB Rating of 94.1 when throwing it in Godwin's direction. That is the second-best of any receiver on the team, just barely behind Tez Johnson, whose stats are inflated by being a role player who gets to benefit from deep targets. Godwin faces more attention from opposing defenses and tougher coverages, yet he is still a reliable option for his quarterbacks.
Meanwhile, the Buccaneers QB Rating when targeting Cade Otton is 64.7, they have a QB Rating of 63.4 when throwing it to rookie Ted Hurst, and nobody has a worse QB Rating on throws at them than No. 2 wideout Emeka Egbuka at an embarrassing 60.6.
t's clear that despite his underwhelming production, Godwin is still the most reliable target for the Buccaneers offense, and he needs to be utilized as such.
Chris Godwin is esentially getting all his yardage on his own, with no help from the scheme. He averages just 4.3 average depth of target yards, with only the running backs behind him, but his 6.3 YAC average of 6.3 is greater than that and second best to only the backs. The Bucs and Baker Mayfield are making a huge mistake not throwing it to him more and giving him more opportunities to make plays.
Perhaps the key to unlocking Godwin and getting him back to performing at a high level is simply to get the ball in his hands. Who would've thought?
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