Bucs, WR Chris Godwin try to work out differences: ‘Nobody’s beefing’

Greg Auman

NFC South Reporter

Chris Godwin, much like Bucs teammate Mike Evans, has long been appreciated as a rare NFL receiver who can produce at an elite level without adding the drama so often associated with the position.

That has changed a bit this week as the Bucs prepare for a crucial divisional showdown Sunday at the Falcons.

Godwin ran for the winning touchdown in last week’s victory over the Panthers but finished the day with zero catches on three targets, ending a streak of 67 straight games with at least two catches. There were mitigating factors — the first half Sunday was played in a steady downpour, and Godwin had missed practice Friday with a neck injury — but it pointed to an overall downturn in his usage. In the past five games, he has just 15 catches for 154 yards and no touchdown catches.

When asked Monday about Godwin’s lesser role, Bucs coach Todd Bowles said he had just seen that the receiver had no catches, and cited his recent injuries — neck last week, knee and elbow the week before — as part of the quiet day.

“We were subbing him out a lot,” Bowles said. “Obviously, he’s a little nicked up, so he’s not totally 100 percent. Nobody is, but he is probably banged up more than most. For him to get the [touchdown] run for us was huge for him. I think it helped him out a lot, it helped us out a lot, so it was good to see him get in the red zone.”

Seemed fairly harmless, but Godwin didn’t sub out a lot: Despite the injury, he played in 52 of 62 snaps, even higher than his average rate of 80% of the offensive plays. And on Wednesday, Godwin’s wife, Mariah, took to Instagram, very upset at what she considered an insult to Godwin pushing through injuries to play as much as he can.

“I’m not sure why we are just blatantly lying here,” she wrote, citing Bowles’ comments. “Regardless of how banged up Chris is, he continues to work his ass off. Hasn’t missed a game. Continues to run great routes and get open. I don’t know why things are the way they are, this isn’t my team to coach. But this lying on Chris & implying negativity on his work ethic is infuriating. Let’s not act like he had to be subbed out so much more than usual, when in fact he’s been playing just the same.”

Bowles had already been asked again about Godwin’s diminished production earlier Wednesday, and the coach had made it clear the team would make a concerted effort to get him more involved.

“We’ve got to get him the ball,” said Bowles, who does not speak to the media on Thursdays. “We’ve got to find ways to get him the ball. I can’t tell you why it’s dipped. If he’s double-covered, obviously we can’t throw it to him. Certain things require us doing other things with other guys. Mike [Evans] has been playing well. We’ve got to keep Mike where he’s at and we’ve got to bring Chris along.”

Godwin, addressing the swirling controversy Thursday afternoon, said he did not feel disrespected by Bowles’ explanation for his lower production, just an awareness of how much players work to push through injuries to be available to help the team.

“I don’t know if disrespected is the right term,” Godwin said. “I think it’s tough. We all do different things physically … trying to put everything on the line for the team, to be as available as I can, and you want to contribute, and obviously that didn’t happen to the effect I would have hoped. It’s things that you live and you learn from. At the end of the day, I was there, I was able to contribute in some capacity. I don’t think Coach Bowles had any malice in what he was saying.”

Offensive coordinator Dave Canales said he had a good conversation with Godwin — “We share equal frustration on this thing” — and that he needs to find more ways to get him involved in the offense moving forward.

Godwin’s overall numbers this season — 53 catches, 596 yards — aren’t far from his normal totals, but he has only one touchdown catch. His touchdown totals over the past five seasons are a steady decline: 9, 7, 5, 3 and 1. Quarterback Baker Mayfield said Wednesday that he needs to get Godwin more involved.

“There have been opportunities there, but some of the coverages have just dictated where the ball is going,” Mayfield said. “Obviously, we tried to get him involved early [Sunday] and then the rain kind of made it hard for us, just based on our normal game plan that we would have called. But yeah, he is obviously one of our key factors, so we’ve got to still try to find ways to get him the ball. He had the reverse for a touchdown. Just trying to get the ball in his hands any way possible and good things happen.”

This should be a big week for Godwin, who was not listed on the injury report at all Wednesday. He’s had more success against Atlanta than any other division opponent, with nine career touchdowns against the Falcons. Three of his top six career games in yardage have been against them, as have three of his five career multi-touchdown games. His game against Atlanta earlier this year saw a season-high 12 targets for him, yielding six catches for 66 yards.

That, combined with clearing the air publicly and privately, could help Godwin get more involved Sunday, and he said it’s important that he’s talked to the right people with the team to make sure everyone is on the same page, working for the same goals. He said his wife will always be his biggest supporter and what she wrote “came from a place of love” and was “making sure people understand I work my ass off.”

“I’ve had conversations with everyone that I need to have conversations with,” he said. “The point that comes out of it is we’re all good. There hasn’t been any ill [will] between any of us. Nobody’s beefing. We’re all great right now, just trying to figure out how to move forward and make it the best we can for the team.”

Greg Auman is FOX Sports’ NFC South reporter, covering the Buccaneers, Falcons, Panthers and Saints. He is in his 10th season covering the Bucs and the NFL full-time, having spent time at the Tampa Bay Times and The Athletic. You can follow him on Twitter at @gregauman.