Where Has Chris Godwin Gone In Bucs’ Passing Game?

Chris Godwin
0 catches on 3 targets, 0 yards vs. Panthers
3 catches on 7 targets, 45 yards at Colts
6 catches on 7 targets, 39 yards at 49ers
4 catches on 6 targets, 54 yards vs. Titans
Total: 13 catches on 23 targets, 138 yards, 0 touchdowns

Trey Palmer
2 catches on 5 targets, 12 yards vs. Panthers
4 catches on 5 targets, 17 yards at Colts
4 catches on 6 targets, 22 yards at 49ers
2 catches on 4 targets, 21 yards vs. Titans
Total: 12 catches on 20 targets, 72 yards, 0 touchdowns

To be fair, Mike Evans has been one of the top wide receivers this season and is a Hall of Fame-caliber player whom the team cannot afford to let leave. Nearly any wideout compared to him will fall short, but Chris Godwin’s production over this recent stretch is barely better than Trey Palmer’s, a rookie sixth-round pick.

There are a combination of factors pointing to Godwin’s recent ineffectiveness, from quarterback Baker Mayfield going to Evans as his primary read often to offensive coordinator Dave Canales not utilizing Godwin in a way to catch defenses off guard.

He has not been game-planned to be a true No. 1 wide receiver on offense besides the Saints game after Evans left with an injury. That was the only time this season Godwin has reached 100 receiving yards. Canales said last week before the Panthers game that he would like to get Godwin going.

“I would love to just get Chris [Godwin] going and find the things that he does well – find the right coverage attacks to put him in the right spots like that,” Canales said. “It’s something that I’m going to keep battling to do because I love Chris and what he’s about. I really believe in the guy.”

While Canales has also stated throughout this season that the passing game starts with Evans and Godwin, Evans has been the main beneficiary while Godwin has not been barely targeted downfield at all. With that being the case, should he go back into the slot instead of being on the outside to have more of an impact?

Should The Bucs Put Chris Godwin Back In The Slot?

On last Thursday’s Pewter Report Podcast, fellow Pewter Reporter Matt Matera and I discussed what has happened to Chris Godwin, and one of the talking points that we had is that Godwin’s slot usage versus being out wide compared to both last season and during his best season in 2019 has gone way down.

2019: 939 total snaps
518 snaps in the slot
349 snaps out wide
55.2% of snaps in the slot
Total: 86 catches on 121 targets, 1,333 yards, 9 touchdowns

2022: 956 total snaps
628 snaps in the slot
311 snaps out wide
65.7% of snaps in the slot
Total: 104 catches on 142 targets, 1,023 yards, 3 touchdowns

2023: 627 total snaps (through Week 13)
201 snaps in the slot
424 snaps out wide
32% of snaps in the slot
Total: 53 catches on 85 targets, 606 yards, 1 touchdown

No longer being in a Bruce Arians’ style offense has hurt Chris Godwin’s impact on games, as he has not been consistently put in positions to get manufactured touches on screens and short passes, and instead has to rely on his explosiveness and winning one-on-ones on the outside. While Godwin stated over the offseason that his explosiveness was coming back, it is hard to find a time in recent weeks where he definitively beat his matchup and created enough separation downfield to make a big play.

If that is the case and he is no longer the same deep threat that he was earlier in his career, moving him back into the slot could be a way to still utilize him in shorter-field situations. When asked about using Godwin more in the slot, Dave Canales spoke about how he wants to continue building the offense.

“I think if you look at our film, he’s in the slot a lot, Canales said last week. “Even though he’s technically the ‘Z’ receiver, we have ways in our different one-by-three, two-by-two builds where we are getting him in the slot on some opportunities. I’m just betting on the guy. I’m betting on how he’s wired and made up and the way he works every day that he’s going to find his way to continue to work through things. And then also that Baker [Mayfield] is going to learn how to throw to this particular player.

“I think I’ve said it up here a lot of times, but we start the pass game with Mike [Evans] and Chris. [We are] continuing to build those things that way and hopefully the coverages that we’re getting allow the ball to find him a little bit more.”

While Evans has established that he’s still got it to be a dominant No. 1 receiver and Rachaad White has started heating up both on the ground and as a receiver, getting Godwin going is the last piece of the puzzle to unlock a new level of the offense.

Chris Godwin Is The Last Piece Of Bucs OC Dave Canales’ Offensive Puzzle

The sentiment on offense this season is that it has been so close. So close to getting it together and putting points on the board. So close to establishing the run game. While they have continued to make progress throughout the season, one key element has been missing. And that is Chris Godwin.

While parts of the offense have improved since last season, Godwin has not. He may not have been at 100% against the Panthers due to a lingering neck injury, but his lack of a catch last week was not because he was not on the field a lot. His snap count on Sunday actually paced the wide receiver group.

At this point, something needs to change to get Chris Godwin the ball in more advantageous situations. Mike Evans has largely put the passing offense on his back this season and even more so during this recent stretch. The Bucs surely imagined at some point that Godwin would start to step up and help the 30-year old Evans out.

That has not happened yet, and one wonders if it will. Godwin, who is the team’s highest-paid receiver, averaging $20 million per season, has the rest of this year and 2024 to showcase that he is the Buccaneers’ No. 1 wide receiver long-term.

Otherwise, the team could pivot to re-signing Mike Evans and look at adding another receiver to eventually replace Godwin.