Chris Godwin not wearing knee brace at Buccaneers practice, improving chances he'll play Week 1

Godwin appears on track to play Week 1 against the Cowboys

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers appear to have their full arsenal of wide receivers for their Week 1 showdown against the Dallas Cowboys. Chris Godwin was spotted at Monday's practice without a knee brace on where he tore his ACL last season -- an excellent sign he's going to be participating in Week 1.

Tampa Bay has been monitoring Godwin's progress throughout the preseason, waiting for the doctors to clear him to play. That decision hasn't been made -- yet.

"They'll know better than I will, so better safe than sorry," Buccaneers head coach Todd Bowles said last week. "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 okay, you won't know you are going to be okay. Whether it's Week 1 or Week 10, it's going to feel the same until you get tackled. 

"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 okay if and when he takes that kind of hit and we can move on from there. When he knows he is okay, we will move on."

If Godwin does return by Sunday, Tampa Bay would be getting a significant piece of its offense back. Godwin has averaged 81.9 receiving yards per game since the start of the 2019 season, which is fourth in the NFL. His 53 catches of 20-plus yards since the start of 2019 are third in the league, and his 1,443 yards after the catch are fourth in the NFL. One of the best slot receivers in the game, Godwin has 152 catches (fifth in NFL), 2,082 yards (fourth), and 11 touchdowns (tied for eighth) from the slot over the past three years -- despite missing nine games with injuries. 

In 2021, Godwin finished with 98 catches for 1,103 yards and five touchdowns in just 14 games, his second 1,000-yard season in three years. Godwin's seven receptions per game in 2021 were third in the NFL, while his 78.8 receiving yards per game were seventh in the league. 

The Buccaneers have Mike Evans and Russell Gage as their top two wide receivers until Godwin returns, so they can afford to be patient this week. Tampa Bay also has Julio Jones in the fold. With Godwin back, the Buccaneers can trot all four receivers out there -- giving Tom Brady arguably his best collection of pass catches since joining the Buccaneers. 

Getting Godwin back would just be the icing on the cake for an already lethal passing game.