Tampa Bay Buccaneers WR Chris Godwin 'Really Comfortable' Moving Back to Slot

Tampa Bay Buccaneers receiver Chris Godwin is moving back to the slot where he's had his best production as a pro, and he's looking forward to what that means.

Jan 15, 2024; Tampa, Florida, USA; Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver Chris Godwin (14) celebrates his touchdown against the Philadelphia Eagles during the second half of a 2024 NFC wild card game at Raymond James Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement Neitzel-USA TODAY Sports / Kim Klement Neitzel-USA TODAY Sports

Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver Chris Godwin got some good news with new offensive coordinator Liam Coen leading the unit this season.

Godwin, who is entering his eighth season in the NFL and with the Buccaneers, is going to be moving back to the slot where he's proven in the past he can do the most damage.

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“He’s an inside guy by nature,” coach Todd Bowles said about the move. “He can play outside, but he can make a living inside doing a bunch of things for us and we’re planning on letting him do a lot of things he does best."

Godwin is entering his second season since he suffered a torn ACL late in 2022, and when you talk to players who have suffered the same injury most will tell you that's when you really start to feel back to normal.

Getting back into the slot should accelerate that feeling of normalcy, and the receiver's ability to impact the game.

“I think what I learned over the last four or five years, I’m really comfortable there,” Godwin said. “I feel like I have a lot of versatility playing inside and outside and I think that flexibility of being inside allows me to get more creative, allows me to be a little more involved in the run game and not be so obvious."

Jan 15, 2024; Tampa, Florida, USA; Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver Chris Godwin (14) celebrates his touchdown against the Philadelphia Eagles during the second half of a 2024 NFC wild card game at Raymond James Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement Neitzel-USA TODAY Sports / Kim Klement Neitzel-USA TODAY Sports

What coach doesn't love hearing their star receivers talking about helping out in the run game as well as the passing attack?

The move back inside for Godwin couldn't come at a better time all around. Tampa Bay surprised most last year by winning the NFC South and making it to the Divisional Round of the NFL Playoffs.

This year, however, teams will see them coming and not be as quick to discount what they're capable of, not that they should have done that in 2023 either.

So having Godwin in a position to be as effective as possible will help the offense, quarterback Baker Mayfield, and of course the player himself.

Turning 29 next February, Godwin could also be entering the open market for the first time in his career as his current contract is set to expire at the end of the season.

Bucs general manager Jason Licht has done a great job locking down their homegrown talent over the years, but this one may be too hard to execute as another 1,000 yard season for Godwin would give him four straight and five in eight seasons.

That kind of production is hard to come by, and someone out there is going to be willing to pay for it. But that's a problem for another day.

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Today, we'll all just enjoy the news that one of the Buccaneers' best weapons is returning to a place that helped him showcase his abilities in the first place.

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