Buccaneers star's return could spark Tampa Bay offense
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers offense could be getting a major boost with Chris Godwin Jr. trending toward a return.
Godwin practiced fully this week for the first time since suffering a dislocated ankle last season, and the team is buzzing about what he brings back to the table.
His presence doesn’t just help Baker Mayfield and the passing game, but it also allows rookie wideout Emeka Egbuka to shine in his own role.
How Godwin and Egbuka fit together for Buccaneers
Offensive coordinator Josh Grizzard knows fans and media love to compare Godwin and Egbuka, but he stressed that both players bring their own unique strengths.
“You do see some of the same attributes in the fact that they can both play multiple positions, they can move around the offense, they’re selfless, they have a huge route tree, you can get the ball to them in multiple ways,” Grizzard said.
Godwin’s reputation as a physical wideout who does the dirty work in the run game makes him even more valuable. His blocking helps open up rushing lanes and creates balance for the offense, something Tampa Bay will lean on with Mike Evans sidelined by a hamstring injury.
At the same time, Egbuka has provided an early-season spark. The rookie has stepped into a bigger role with 14 catches for 181 yards and three touchdowns through three games, showing he can be a reliable option when the team needs him most. Now with Evans out, Egbuka will be asked to continue his production while Godwin settles back into game action.
The impact of Godwin's return
For Grizzard, Godwin’s return is about more than just numbers. The veteran’s presence in the locker room and meeting rooms is a difference-maker.
“Oh, it was fantastic,” Grizzard said. “For one, because of just the human being that he is… it’s just fun to talk to him and have him out there just because of the presence he brings.”
On the field, Godwin brings reliability and versatility that makes Tampa Bay’s offense far more dangerous. He’s a trusted target for Mayfield who can move the chains, win in contested situations and set the tone physically. His return also means defenses can no longer just key in on Egbuka, giving the rookie more opportunities to make plays.
“It goes without saying how good of a player he is and what he adds to the offense,” Grizzard added.
With Godwin back and Egbuka continuing his rise, the Buccaneers believe their receiver group has the balance to stay competitive even while Evans recovers. It’s the kind of depth and flexibility that could carry Tampa Bay through the toughest stretches of the season.
Chiefs ST Coach Reveals Reason for Harrison Butker’s Struggles
Role players have certainly helped along the way, but the Kansas City Chiefs‘ ongoing dynasty is largely thanks to their championship core. Players like Patrick Mahomes, Travis Kelce, Chris Jones and others headline that annual list.
Kicker Harrison Butker is also among that group, but he isn’t playing like it to start the 2025-26 campaign. Is that a reason for concern, or is it merely a matter of a small sample size swaying the numbers?
Dave Toub Explains Why Harrison Butker Isn’t Thriving to Start Season
That’s what special teams coordinator Dave Toub is setting out to decipher. Speaking to the media ahead of Week 4’s tilt against the Baltimore Ravens, he addressed Butker’s early-season shortcomings.
Toub believes it’s more of a mechanical issue than an unsolvable problem.
“We’re assuming that right now, that it’s just a small little thing,” Toub said. “It’s technical. We look at the tape and we see. It’s an unusual miss for him to miss it right, so it’s got to be his ball contact. We’ve just got to work harder — not harder, but smarter — in practice. He doesn’t need to do more, because he does a lot already. If anything, we need to cut down what he does and get more specific on making sure the contact is good [and] the rotation of the ball and the fundamentals are down. That’s what you do — you go back, you go from scratch and you evaluate it, talk about it, look at the tape, you build your confidence back and then you go.”
In the past, Butker’s occasional struggles could be linked to injury. That isn’t the case this time around, so Toub admits it’s somewhat unfamiliar territory.
“Haven’t had too many guys that had a long slump, you know?” Toub said. “Hopefully, this week is the start of a new streak, a good streak. That’s the way we always look at it: it’s always about the next kick. I haven’t had too many guys that had a slump over a three- or four-week period.”
The current plan is to strip things down to the studs and get back to basics.
Chiefs to Focus on Short-Range Field Goals Moving Forward
Through three games, Butker’s numbers leave a bit to be desired.
He’s 7-for-9 on the field goals, good for 77.8%. He’s also just 3-for-5 on extra points (60%), which could be even more alarming. Week 3’s Sunday Night Football bout with the New York Giants saw the nine-year veteran doink one field goal off the crossbar in a lucky make, then miss another wide right. Additionally, he whiffed on a point-after once it was moved back due to an unsportsmanlike conduct flag on running back Kareem Hunt.
Butker is a perfect 3-for-3 on kicks between 20-39 yards. It’s his attempts from 40-49 (1-for-2), 50-plus (3-for-4) and the extra points that are drawing the wrong kind of attention. Despite that, Toub says he and the Chiefs will push for more short-range execution in practice.
“That’s one of the things that we talked about,” Toub said. “We kick a lot of long kicks in practice. We’ll kind of just be a little bit more specific with it. We’re going to kick more shorter kicks and less longer kicks, because the shorter kicks are the ones you have to have. Obviously, we want to try to get the longer ones too, but we can’t spend our time doing that. We have to get more specific and talk about the accuracy of the ball on those shorter kicks. That’s what we’re going to do.”
Butker, who signed a four-year contract extension last offseason, is the highest-paid kicker in the NFL. Since converting on a career-high 94.3% of his field goals in 2023, however, he’s been good for 82.4% of those and 88.9% of his extra points. Is this the new normal, or can he get back to peak form for a team that desperately needs it?
The next several weeks should reveal that answer.
