Tampa Bay Buccaneers OC Dave Canales 'Not Satisfied' With Chris Godwin’s Usage
It's not really news that the Tampa Bay Buccaneers haven't been using receiver Chris Godwin as well as they could be.
What is news this week, however, is the thin excuse Buccaneers coach Todd Bowles tried to pass off when asked about it.
Bowles' claims that Godwin's use has dipped due to the receiver rotating in and out often as he deals with the bumps and bruises that accompany an NFL schedule weren't received well, and it led to offensive coordinator Dave Canales being put in a position where he too needed to comment on the receiver's lack of usage.
“I come up here and say it every week. I’m not satisfied with how we’re using Chris in the offense," Canales said via WFLA reporter Aileen Hnatiuk. "I have to be more aware of spreading the quick touches…I’m equally as frustrated with this as he is.”
Dec 3, 2023; Tampa, Florida, USA; Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver Chris Godwin (14) celebrates after he scored a touchdown against the Carolina Panthers during the second half at Raymond James Stadium.
Kim Klement Neitzel-USA TODAY Sports
Of course, the question everyone outside - and perhaps inside - the organization will be asking is shouldn't Canale himself be able to impact these types of things?
If so, then how does the man calling the plays for specific receivers truly believe he's as frustrated as the one not getting plays called for him?
To be fair, none of those frustrations entered the public space until Bowles made his erroneous comments to the media claiming, "We were subbing him out a lot."
In a world where everyone has NFL data at the tips of their fingers that claim was quickly debunked and Godwin's wife Mariah even took to social media to explain that her husband wasn't missing the number of snaps needed to justify the low usage.
After posting numbers of Godwin's snap counts that show he was on the field plenty, Mariah followed up by saying, "I'm not sure why we are just blatantly lying here. Regardless of how banged up Chris is, he continues to work his ass off. Hasn't missed a game. Continues to run great routes & get open...this lying on Chris & implying negativity on his work ethic is infuriating."
With Bowles already perceived to be on the hot seat this season his and the organization's handling of its star receivers isn't going to help repair an already damaged public image.
On top of Godwin's low usage, and now this drama surrounding the misrepresentation of why it's happening, fellow star Mike Evans just extended his own NFL record with his 10th 1,000-yard receiving season - joining legend Jerry Rice as only the second to have 10 consecutive 1,000-yard receiving seasons in NFL history - to start his career while playing on an expiring contract because the team reportedly refused to come to the negotiating table this offseason for an extension.
Oh, and the Bucs currently have a critical NFC South Division matchup to prepare for, facing the leading Atlanta Falcons as they seek to regain control of their playoff destiny.
Interestingly enough, winning while yet again not getting the ball into Godwin's hands this Sunday could actually make matters worse.
Stick with BucsGameday and the Locked On Bucs podcast for more coverage of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers throughout the 2023 season.
