To say that the Tampa Bay Buccaneers have been bitten hard by the injury bug this summer would be an understatement. That being said, the Bucs did get some excellent news on Thursday regarding two of their biggest names on the roster who are dealing with injuries.
According to head coach Todd Bowles, both Chris Godwin and Tristan Wirfs will be on the Bucs' 53-man roster. While they won't be playing in Week 1 of the regular season, this at least means that Godwin and Wirfs should hopefully be available to suit up sooner rather than later since they're taking up spots on the roster.
Adam Schefter's specific report stated that Godwin shouldn't see any action until October and Wirfs was "on a similar return-to-play timeline" as Godwin. This will give the Bucs a boost as they enter a tough portion of their schedule against the Seahawks, 49ers, and Lions.
Bucs should have Chris Godwin and Tristan Wirfs by October
Godwin has been out with an ankle injury since last October. He suffered the injury late in Week 7 and it forced him to miss the rest of the year. Godwin was on the PUP list but he'll be activated off of it and taking up a roster spot, which clearly shows that the coaching staff thinks he's close to being ready for football action.
The Bucs rewarded Godwin this offseason with a three-year deal worth $66 million, tying him to Tampa for potentially the rest of his career. The former third-round pick by the Bucs in 2017 has spent the entirety of his career in Tampa and has tallied over 1,000 yards in four of his eight NFL seasons.
As for Wirfs, the first-round pick of the Bucs in 2020 has been a Pro Bowler in all but his rookie year and has been named to the All-Pro team twice. He earned a five-year extension worth $140 million last summer and has rarely missed time.
There's no doubt that the Buccaneers are a better team when these two are healthy but it's good to see the coaching staff is taking precautions before letting them suit up and play.