The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are set to return from a much-needed bye week, especially with all the injuries they've had to deal with. Despite having players like Mike Evans, Emeka Egbuka, Calijah Kancey, Luke Goedke, and Haason Reddick miss games, the Buccaneers were still competitive, and hold a 6-2 record and first place in the NFC South.
Tampa Bay's first matchup after their one-week break comes against the red-hot New England Patriots, who are 7-2 on the season. So it's not going to be an easy matchup. Fans are probably hoping that quarterback Baker Mayfield will have some reinforcements. It doesn't sound like it will happen this week.
ESPN's Jeremy Fowler appeared on SportsCenter on Thursday and revealed that wide receiver Chris Godwin, who has missed the previous three games due to a fibula injury, is more likely to return in "late November-December."
"So with him coming back with the injury last year as well, and he aggravated his fibula early in the year, [the Buccaneers] just don't want to press it with him," said Fowler. "They're thinking late November-December with Chris Godwin. So they'll take it week-to-week with him, see if he can practice on Friday, but he was not out there [Thursday]."
Buccaneers expect Chris Godwin to return in 'late November-December' from injury
This is not the update that Buccaneers fans wanted to hear. With the bye week, fans were without a doubt expecting the roster to get healthier, particularly on offense. Getting Godwin back in time for a pivotal matchup against a playoff contender would have been ideal. But, the Buccaneers simply don't want to rush it with Godwin and risk him re-aggravating the fibula injury.
Godwin missed the start of the season as he recovered from a dislocated ankle that cost him most of the 2024 campaign. He made his season debut against the Philadelphia Eagles in Week 4, where he caught three of 10 targets for 26 yards in the 31-25 loss. Godwin played the next week against the Seattle Seahawks, where he caught three of four targets for 26 yards. Since then, Godwin hasn't played in a game due to the fibula injury.
Based on Fowlers reporting, Buccaneers fans can't expect Godwin to return to the field until later this month or at some point in December. The team wants to be patient, so expect Mayfield to rely on Egbuka, Sterling Shepard, and Tez Johnson in Godwin's absence.