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About the Author: Matt Matera
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We’ve arrived to that point of the calendar where we start shifting gears from what was the Bucs’ 2024 season to what the 2025 offseason will be. As much as we like to discuss potential free agents and draft picks the Bucs are going to sign and draft, there’s also the reality and possibility that certain players that fans may want back with the team end up going somewhere else. That’s just the nature of the business.
With that in mind, various outlets have started compiling lists of the top available free agents heading into this offseason. Bleacher Report and Pro Football Focus are two sites that were quick to compile the Top 50 best available free agents, with two Bucs total landing on their lists. While Bleacher Report named two Bucs, Pro Football Focus only had one, though this same player had a great ranking in each category.
Bucs WR Chris Godwin To Be Highly Sought After
The player many expected on here was none other than wide receiver Chris Godwin. It looked like Godwin was having a career year up until he dislocated his ankle on Monday night football when Tampa Bay lost to the Ravens. He ended his season with 50 catches for 576 yards and five touchdowns in seven games.
At the time, Godwin was up at the top in every important statistical categories in the league, including third in receiving yards among wide receivers. There’s a good chance he could have finished on top if he were able to play longer into the season. Godwin was ranked 12th on Bleacher Report and fourth on Pro Football Focus in their respective rankings. Here’s what the sites had to say about him.
From Bleacher Report’s Kristopher Knox:
Bucs WR Chris Godwin – Photo by: USA Today
“The Buccaneers are NFC South champions once again, and while he missed over half the season with a dislocated ankle, wideout Chris Godwin played a role in Tampa’s run. In seven games before the injury, he caught 50 passes for 576 yards and five touchdowns.
While Godwin will have to clear medical checks in the spring, he should be one of the top wide receivers available in this year’s market. He’s had three 1,000-yard campaigns over the last three years and will only turn 29 in late February.
Right now, it appears that Godwin is on track to recover by 2025.
“The first two weeks were not great, but the last two-and-a-half to three have been hopeful, and I have been making a lot of progress,” Godwin said in late November, per Brianna Dix of the Buccaneers’ official website.
Carolina is the most logical landing spot for Godwin. Bryce Young showed himself to be the playmaker whom the Panthers thought they were drafting first overall in 2023, so it’s now time for them to strengthen his supporting cast. Panthers head coach Dave Canales coached Godwin as Tampa’s offensive coordinator in 2023.
The Chargers should be interested in adding Godwin to round out a receiving corps headlined by Quentin Johnston and rookie Ladd McConkey.”
“Godwin has consistently displayed reliable hands, dropping fewer than 6% of catchable passes in six of his first seven NFL seasons. He was on pace to maintain that standard in 2024, earning an 85.7 PFF receiving grade through nearly seven weeks without a single drop on 52 catchable targets. However, Godwin sustained a season-ending left ankle dislocation. He is no stranger to entering free agency with an injury, and hopefully, the recovery will be even quicker this time around.”
A Steady Bucs Player Gets A Shoutout
Bucs OLB Anthony Nelson – Photo by: USA Today
This next player may come as a bit of a surprise but it’s a nice nod to his overall career in Tampa Bay. Coming in at No. 30 on Bleacher Report’s rankings is outside linebacker Anthony Nelson. It seems as one way or another, Nelson has made a big play each season to help the Bucs.
There’s no better example than this season when Nelson forced a fumble on Carolina running back Chuba Hubbard in overtime that was recovered by the Bucs as the Panthers were getting into field goal range to win the game in overtime. The Bucs won once they got the ball back and he saved the day.
He’s been a primary backup for a majority of his career having his moments. But Nelson was moved into a starting role in December and continued there during the rest of the season. Was tthat because of his play or a lack of play by Joe Tryon-Shoyinka? That’s up for debate. He finished the year with 40 tackles, four sacks, a forced fumble, fumble recovery and a pass breakup.
Tampa Bay will certainly be looking to upgrade at edge rusher with Yaya Diaby likely more of an OLB2 unless his sack production increases, but that doesn’t mean Nelson won’t be back. On the other hand, Tryon-Shoyinka, a former first-round pick in 2021, is not likely to return given his lack of production.
The Bucs don’t have as many star-studded names available in free agency like they did a season ago, but Godwin certainly is the head of the class followed by legendary linebacker Lavonte David, who could be contemplating retirement or possibly re-signing for one more season at age 35. If there was one snub on these lists, it was probably David, who has played on a series of one-year deals lately. We’ll see how the Bucs offseason unfolds.
