Tampa Bay Buccaneers fans received a positive surprise in practice on Thursday when wideout Chris Godwin and left tackle Tristan Wirfs were both limited participants in the session. Godwin has been out since Week 7 last season, when he suffered a gruesome ankle injury against the Baltimore Ravens, and Wirfs underwent offseason knee surgery. Initial reports suggested that the Buccaneers’ plans hadn’t changed and that both players were expected to return around Week 5, but head coach Todd Bowles indicated Thursday that either player could play in Monday night’s clash against the Houston Texans if they responded well to the activity.
If Godwin manages to play on Monday, that might impact Tampa Bay rookie Emeka Egbuka. The 19th overall pick had a tremendous debut, hauling in four of his six passes for a team-high 67 yards and a pair of scores in the Week 1 win over the Atlanta Falcons, including the game winner with 59 seconds remaining. On that play, he demonstrated both his football IQ and his route-running ability; wide receiver Mike Evans and quarterback Baker Mayfield both suggested after the game that he’d called his own play before the game-winning catch, correctly suggesting that he’d be open on the post route with All-Pro safety Jessie Bates shadowing Evans.
It’d be unfair to expect Egbuka to replicate his performance from Week 1 — no receiver has ever caught more than 23 touchdown passes in a season, so of course Egbuka won’t catch 34 this season — but the Buccaneers wouldn’t have drafted him if they didn’t see him as a critical part of the offense. Tampa Bay had a glaring need in the secondary and on the edge and both of the top pure cornerbacks on the board, but went for Egbuka despite having Evans and Godwin on the roster. He’ll continue to be an integral part of the team’s plans and will serve as Mayfield’s No. 2 target, at least until Godwin gets back to full strength.
Even if Godwin plays on Monday, it’s unlikely that he appears in more than half of the team’s snaps, so he shouldn’t take away many of Egbuka’s targets. He and Godwin are both versatile receivers who can line up either on the outside or in the slot, so they should be able to co-exist regardless. Houston has one elite cornerback, Derek Stingley Jr., though he had a rough performance in the Texans’ Week 1 loss to the Los Angeles Rams. If Stingley shadows Evans for most of the night, Egbuka and Godwin should trade snaps against slot corner Jalen Pitre, who’s allowed an 88.2 passer rating or higher in coverage in each of his three NFL seasons. Houston’s other outside corner, Kamari Lassiter, was elite as a rookie last season, but struggled last Sunday.
If anything, Godwin’s presence would help Egbuka. Both of his touchdowns came because Evans took defensive attention away from Egbuka, and with Godwin, the Buccaneers would have an additional offensive threat for the Texans secondary to focus on. Egbuka should remain a fantasy must-start on Monday night.
