The Tampa Bay Buccaneers offense is set to look much different to start the 2025 NFL season due to the absence of former Pro Bowl wide receiver Chris Godwin. But fortunately, Bucs fans may not have to wait to long to see Godwin on the field.
Godwin’s 2024 season came to a premature end after suffering a dislocated left ankle last October. And unfortunately, the nature of injury has led to Godwin being forced to undergo a second surgery to repair his ankle, which he is still recovering from.
Because of this, it was expected that Godwin would miss the early portion of the 2025 season, with his potential return date in question. But on Sunday, we received an update on when we could potentially see Godwin return for the Buccaneers.
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Predictably, Godwin was ruled out for the team’s Week 1 matchup against their NFC South rival, the Atlanta Falcons, on Sunday.
But according to NFL insider Ian Rapoport, Godwin will be returning to practice soon, with hopes of potentially being available to return to play as soon as Week 5 when the Buccaneers take to the road for a matchup against the Seattle Seahawks.
The #Bucs will be without WR Chris Godwin today, as he recovers from a second surgery on his ankle, this time to tighten up hardware. Sources tell me and @judybattista he should return to practice soon and Week 5 is the target for a return. W6 or 7 is also possible. It’s coming. pic.twitter.com/io0XRi53Q4
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) September 7, 2025
It seems as if Week 5 isn’t a sure thing for Godwin, as Rapoport did add that Week 6 or 7 was also a realistic return date for him. But it is at least promising that Godwin could very well be back in the first half of the 2025 season.
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Godwin’s impact should not be understated, recording three straight seasons with 1,000 receiving yards prior to his injury-stricken 2024 season. Godwin also of course played a massive role in the Buccaneers Super Bowl championship in 2021.
It will be interesting to see what the state of the Buccaneers receiving corps looks like when Godwin is able to return. Notably, the Buccaneers made the wide receiver position a priority this past offseason, drafting Ohio State standout Emeka Egbuka with the No. 19 pick in the 2025 NFL Draft this offseason.
Perhaps that decision came to be due to Godwin’s injury. But regardless, the Bucs could very well have one of the best wide receiver trios in all of football if Godwin is able to return to form when he does ultimately make his debut in 2025.
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