Tampa Bay Buccaneers Wide Receiver Declares Himself Game-Time Decision

Tampa Buccaneers wide receiver Chris Godwin's recovery from a devastating ACL tear has been the subject of analysis all offseason, but with the regular season finally starting this week, time is short to find out if he'll actually be ready to play against the Dallas Cowboys. According to Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times, not even Godwin knows for sure:

“Obviously, I think it’s a very complicated process…I think whenever the time comes for the game, I think everybody will know, but until then, even I’m not sure.” — Bucs WR Chris Godwin.
— Rick Stroud (@NFLSTROUD) September 8, 2022

Godwin suffered his ACL tear in Week 15 of last year, so seeing the field in Week 1 would prove an amazingly quick turnaround for the one-time Pro Bowler. Even if he should find himself ready to go, it's possible he'll see reduced snaps behind fellow wide receivers Mike Evans, Russell Gage, and Julio Jones.

The Buccaneers play the Dallas Cowboys Sunday in a pivotal NFC tilt that could have seeding implications at the end of the season, so the Bucs can't exactly afford to take it easy against last year's NFC East champions. Godwin tallied a crucial 105 receiving yards in last year's NFL Kickoff game against the Cowboys, and time will tell how quickly free agent additions Jones and Gage can acclimate themselves to the Bucs offense. If the Bucs want to replicate the 379 passing yards they piled on last year's Cowboys, they'll likely need Godwin to contribute.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers face the Dallas Cowboys in their regular season opener on Sunday Night Football.