The Tampa Bay Buccaneers passing attack is widely viewed as the strong point of this team with Baker Mayfield at the helm and a deep group of young, athletic wide receivers with veteran Chris Godwin Jr. leading the way. And the Bucs are also strong at running back with Kenny Gainwell joining feature back Bucky Irving. If new offensive coordinator Zac Robinson can coax a breakout year from retained tight end Cade Otton, then the Bucs offense will be fully in business.
Despite the fact that the defense under Todd Bowles has widely been viewed as the weak link for the Buccaneers and the real reason for their big collapse last season, not everyone is unanimously high on the Bucs offense either. And even when it comes to the purported biggest strength of the offense, the wide receivers, not everyone is convinced either after Mike Evans's somewhat surprising departure to the San Francisco 49ers.
Former NFL General Manager Ran Carthon of Tennessee Titans delivered a surprising take on the Buccaneers wide receivers, as he sounds skeptical of the strength of the group going into the 2026 NFL regular season despite the fact that most Bucs fans are proud of these receivers.
Chris Godwin just got some extra motivation
Carthon said that he is actually more concerned about the offense than the defense when it comes to Tampa, via Joe Bucs Fan, “I’m still not sold on this wide receiver group, if I’m being honest. I mean, I love where Emeka came along, and I just think Chris Godwin is at a phase now in his career where he’s kind of on the down side.”
While Carthon seems high on Tez Johnson, Emeka Egbuka and Jalen McMillan, it sounds like he doesn't think Chris Godwin Jr. is good enough to be a 1. But in the past, Godwin has shown for Tampa that he is that caliber of player, and the only real question with the veteran receiver when it comes to his ability to step up without Mike Evans is his health.
Evans is undoubtedly a big loss for the Buccaneers, but Godwin will take words like these from Ran Carthon as that extra bulletin board material motivation he needs to blow up for 1,000 receiving yards again. And rookie Ted Hurst is already coming into the NFL with a chip on his shoulder as a small school prospect, and despite the hype, he now has some extra motivation to shine, too.
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