The Bucs are going back to the days where they got the best out of Chris Godwin, and that was playing the 28-year old receiver in the slot. Chris Godwin can do a lot for Tampa Bay, but he was always at his best when lined up the middle of the field instead of out wide.

Though it first began under the tutelage of Bruce Arians and his offense, we saw the greatness begin when Godwin was first moved to the slot in 2019, lining up there for 402 passing plays as opposed to 221 passing plays when lined up as a wideout. It ultimately led to the best year of Chris Godwin’s career as he recorded a personal-best 1,333 receiving yards and nine touchdowns in 14 games. Also, his 15.5 yards per reception average was never better.

Injuries forced Godwin to miss four games during the 2020 Super Bowl winning season, but his 70 yards per game were the third-best of his career. Godwin had another display of dominance in 2021 until a harrowing ACL injury late in the year ended his run.

Bucs WR Chris Godwin – Photo by: USA Today

After signing a three-year, $60 million contract extension it took Godwin most of the 2022 season regain his form after rehabbing the knee, and he miraculously had a career-best 104 catches. Once again, this was all while playing in the slot.

When Dave Canales took over as offensive coordinator for the Bucs in 2023, he had different plans for Chris Godwin. Instead of playing him over the middle, Godwin lined up more often as an outside receiver than a slot receiver for the first time since 2018.

Godwin lined up out wide 377 snaps to 224 snaps in the slot position. His usage in the slot dipped all the way down to just 37% of the snaps. It had been over 70% the previous two years.

Chris Godwin Has An Old Role In New Offense

Chris Godwin had a solid season out wide with 83 catches and 1,024 yards in 2023, but only had two receiving touchdowns. That was his lowest TD output since he caught just one score as a rookie in 2017. It wasn’t a bad year by any means, but the standard of play and expectations that Godwin has set for himself, it felt like some production was left on the table – especially for a $20 million receiver.

With Liam Coen as Tampa Bay’s new offensive coordinator and Bryan McClendon as his wide receivers coach, the Bucs are going back to the basics with Godwin. Coen’s offense will feature many three wide receiver looks with lots of motion on every play. More importantly, Godwin will be back in the slot where he has been the most effective during his Bucs career.

Bucs WR Chris Godwin – Photo by: USA Today

“Right now Chris is going to be moved back to the slot pretty much the majority of the time,” McClendon said on Monday. “Now that does not mean he won’t be utilized in other ways. We’ll be able to utilize other guys in other ways, but just positionally. If we went out there today he’d probably be the starting slot. Like I said, being able to kind of do a bunch of stuff right now with him and everything else. Chris is one of those ‘Hey, if the team needs me to do this, then we can do this’ [kind of players].”

It’s an interesting season coming up for Godwin as he’s in a contract year and will certainly be looking to get rewarded with another lucrative contract next year. If Godwin can tap into his 2019 and 2020 caliber of player, there would be no reason for the Bucs to avoid re-signing him. Should Godwin look like the player he’s been over the last two seasons, he may have to find that pay day on another team.

The question of putting him back in the slot also brings some intrigue. On the one hand, it’s an area that he’s had his best production as a pro. On the other, playing there brings more risk of injury as slot receivers have to go over the middle more often the level of play can be quite physical. That’s what got Godwin injured during the 2021 season in the first place.

“And I get it, too, because there’s a business component of what he sees that he’ll need to do also,” McClendon said.  “Just being able to marry that stuff up is always a constant struggle for every coach right now  in the NFL. I feel pretty good about where he is and what he needs to learn and kind of what he’s doing now for us offensively, which has looked pretty good so far.”

Chris Godwin Is A “Throwback Guy”

Part of what makes this decision easier for the Bucs is Chris Godwin’s willingness to do so. Godwin was a first-time team captain for the Bucs last season and it was very deserving role. Last offseason he was at every offseason workout, OTA and mini-camp practice. He didn’t need to be there every day as a veteran, but he set the tone for what it means to be a pro and helped Tampa Bay’s young receivers in the process.

Bucs WR Chris Godwin – Photo by: USA Today

McClendon is in his first year as the Bucs wide receivers coach, so he’s still getting to know all of his players. With Godwin, he’s learned a great deal already.

“Chris is a throwback guy,” McClendon said. “He’s a throwback guy that doesn’t mind being physical. When you have that guy in the run game, he can give you an extra gap in the run game, and then when you have that guy in the pass game, he’s got to be good around making contested catches, making catches with people around him and kind of a have a really good feel. Chris is really instinctive, he’s a real instinctive guy, there’s something to be said for, you might teach a guy forever and drill things, laying down fundamentals forever,  bust just to know when to apply it and what to do once you get there, that’s a whole other thing.

“He’s one of those few guys that it’s to blend those two. He has a really good feel right now for the slot and his spatial awareness, things like that. Knowing what he needs to do, and he’s such a sharp guy, he takes it so serious that if you need to change anything right now that you might’ve been repping 10 times one way, he understands why you need to that and it’s easy for him to figure some of those things out.”