Chris Godwin Hype Train Leaving the Station

Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver Chris Godwin has 93 catches for 1,367-yards and 8 touchdowns in his first two seasons in the NFL. As third-round picks go, that’s good.

Godwin has not only made good on his finish during his final season at Penn State, he’s also been one of the names Bucs fans drop when defending general manager Jason Licht, and one detractors of Licht avoid.

For the entire Buccaneers franchise this season has been one of sweeping changes. Not only is there a change at the top, there are changes throughout the building organization. From top to bottom, even Licht who remains from the previous period of Bucs history has changed in his message and the way he speaks about the head coach and general manager relationship.

Change can be scary, and for the most part people don’t like change. But in Godwin’s case, while he may not have been happy about the firing of former head coach Dirk Koetter, it sure looks like he’s going to be happy about the changes coming his way in 2019.

Speaking on the Locked On Bucs Podcast earlier this off-season, Godwin had this to say about the hiring of Arians, “I’m excited. I’m excited about the new opportunity that’s coming our way. Coach Arians has a great track record and with the talent that we have on our team, as with the last two years, we have the potential to have a really good year.”

Godwin went on to say he wasn’t sure what to expect as a player going through his first NFL coaching change. But if Arians’ comments this week at the league meetings in Phoenix, Arizona are any indicator, he should at least expect a whole lot of opportunity.

Of his young receiver, Arians told media members in attendance,

“I think Chris Godwin is going to be close to a 100 catch guy, especially because I think he can play in the slot.” Arians followed this up by saying, “He’s never coming off the field.”

Let’s hope Mr. Godwin is getting some good cardio in this off-season.

Bucs fans have been high on Godwin it seems from the day he was drafted in 2016 along with tight end O.J. Howard and safety Justin Evans.

While the previous two picks in his class have struggled with injury, Godwin has been able to stay mostly healthy being able to at least play in all 32-games thus far in his young career.

Arians’ bravado about the receiver’s potential to stay on the field consistently in 2019 stems undoubtedly from the departures of DeSean Jackson and Adam Humphries, but also from Godwin’s ability to play in any receiver position on the field. A skill he showed at Penn State and a challenge he doesn’t shy away from moving forward.

Back in January, Godwin said, “I pride myself on being a very versatile player, that anything that the coaching staff asks me to do I’m able to make the transition and do it at a high level.”

It’s obvious the receiver and coach are already on the same page when it comes to ideas on how to make the best of this new relationship. Bucs fans should look forward to seeing how all of this pans out.

Coach Arians also mentioned fans getting into the moment as many have been tentative about getting excited for the new season.

It appears he’s ready to get started and confident about what will happen in 2019. So is Godwin. And so am I.