Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver Chris Godwin seemed poised for a breakout year entering the season. After all, in 2018 — Godwin’s second year in the league — he finished with 842 receiving yards and seven touchdowns. New head coach Bruce Arians even said last offseason that Godwin would be close a 100-catch guy.
Arians couldn’t have been more right.
Despite missing the final two weeks of the season with a hamstring injury, Godwin finished the year with career-highs across the board: 86 receptions, 1,333 yards and nine touchdowns. Godwin’s breakout season earned him Pro Bowl honors and Second-Team All-Pro honors. You have to imagine, too, that had he not been injured those final two weeks, Godwin would’ve had more than a fair chance of hitting 100 receptions.
Still, it seems the best is yet to come for Godwin. And, as Pro Football Focus notes, Godwin graded out as the best wide receiver in the NFL this season (90.7).
(via ESPN):
“Godwin was every bit the best receiver in football, despite missing the final two games with an injury. He still finished second in total yards after catch and third in yards after the catch per reception among qualified receivers, as he was the only receiver with over 100 targets to also average 6.5 YAC/reception. Separating him further from the rest of the league’s receivers, Godwin’s safe hands saw him drop just one of the 87 catchable passes thrown his way, and his drop rate of 1.1% stood as the second-best mark among 69 receivers who saw at least 35 targeted passes.”
Godwin flourished in his first year playing under Arians, and if quarterback Jameis Winston returns in 2020, the connection between Winston and Godwin will only be that much more effective on downfield attacks. Oh, and let’s not forget that the Bucs also have Mike Evans on their roster.
The 2020 regular season can’t get here soon enough for Bucs fans.
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