The Tampa Bay Buccaneers lost one of their most important players when Pro Bowl wide receiver Chris Godwin went down with a season-ending knee injury in Week 15 last season.
A little more than seven months after knee surgery, Godwin continues to work his way closer to a full return to action.
Godwin didn’t start training camp on the Physically Unable to Perform (PUP) list, which is always a good sign. Just a few days into camp, he began taking part in positional drills, wearing a knee brace.
Another milestone came during Tuesday’s practice, when Godwin got his first work during 7-on-7 drills (via ESPN’s Jenna Laine):
Wide receiver Chris Godwin took part in 7-on-7s today for the first time since undergoing ACL surgery. He caught a short pass from Blaine Gabbert and ran it in for a touchdown. Prior to today, he was only doing positional drills.
— JennaLaineESPN (@JennaLaineESPN) August 16, 2022
Bucs head coach Todd Bowles has reiterated that the team will take the slow and steady approach to Godwin’s return, and won’t bring him back before he’s ready to go full-speed. While that may not happen before Week 1, it’s clear that Godwin isn’t far off from making a triumphant return to the starting lineup.
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