Bucs WR Chris Godwin – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

Bucs wide receiver Chris Godwin has been making steady progress from his return from a torn ACL he suffered in Week 15 of last season. Electing not to place him on the physically unable to perform list at the onset of camp, he made his practice debut on August 5. Since then he has been slowly ramping up his on field work to the point where he has been participating in 11-on-11’s while wearing a non-contact jersey.

He’s looked like the Godwin of old on the practice field. Smooth in-and-out of his breaks and cutting on a dime, but that doesn’t mean he’ll be ready for Week 1 according to head coach Todd Bowles.

“He’s working into practice and everything,” Bowles said. “You don’t know unless you get hit on that leg how good you are or how good you are not. We’re just going to take it day-by-day. He’s still in the brace. The doctors are still monitoring him and we’re just monitoring his progress right now. We are not trying to rush him. He will be ready when is ready, but we will be glad to have him out there when he is.”

Godwin Needs To Take The Hit

Where the Pro Bowl receivers injury was caused from contact, getting hit below the waist will be pivotal to see where he’s truly at in his recovery. When a player suffers a season ending injury on non-contact play, the way they plant their foot while cutting is often in the back of their head and can cause some hesitation. That does not appear to be the case with Godwin. Though he has looked sharp, it will be himself and the medical staff who has the final say on when he is cleared for action.

“They’ll know better than I will, so better safe than sorry,” Bowles said on Godwins return. “We never want to put him out there early before it’s time, but at the same time, if he is healthy, he is 100 percent, and they give me a full green light – you’ve got to go. I think with an injury like that, you are never going to know until you get hit below the waist. You can get knocked around in practice, but that is all upper body.

For anybody that comes back from one of those types of injuries, until you get hit below the waist in the knee or in the leg, and you bounce up and know that you are OK, you won’t know you are going to be OK. Whether it’s Week 1 or Week 10, it’s going to feel the same until you get tackled.”

Bucs In Wait And See Mode

Bucs WR Chris Godwin – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

While there remains a chance the veteran receiver is ready to go for Week 1 against the Cowboys the Bucs are in full wait and see mode. Bowles could decide to have a practice with live tackling ahead of their season opener just to get Godwin that hit to see how he handles it.

“We will wait and see until clearance is 100 percent. When that is 100 percent – he still has to take the hit. He understands that and we understand that. That’s just the way football has been played. Hopefully he is OK if and when he takes that kind of hit and we can move on from there. When he knows he is OK, we will move on.”

When Godwin takes that hit and knows he’s OK, he’ll add to a dangerous receiving corp that features himself, Mike Evans, Russell Gage, and Julio Jones.