Chris Godwin Jr. didn’t bother dressing up the Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ day in Jacksonville.
After a flat joint practice against the Jaguars on Tuesday, the veteran wideout said exactly what he thought of the Bucs’ energy level, and he didn’t leave much room for interpretation.
“Nothing too concerning, but sometimes you got to have more energy,” Chris Godwin Jr. began. “We’ve got to bring it with our own energy especially when we’re on the road in a situation like this.
If it’s a game it’s going to be a hostile environment. We got to be able to pull our heads out of our asses sometimes and get back on track.”
That kind of bluntness fits a player entering his soon-to-be 10th NFL season, and it also landed in a week where Tampa Bay has been short-handed at receiver. Emeka Egbuka and Jalen McMillan were out, Tez Johnson had just returned, and Godwin - who won’t play in either preseason game - has been one of the main players absorbing the extra work with quarterback Baker Mayfield.
That workload has made him a central figure in camp. He’s been on the field for both joint practices against the Jets, three of the four practices back in Tampa the following week, and Tuesday’s session with Jacksonville.
The bigger picture for Godwin is familiar territory. He’s coming off an injury-filled season a year ago, but the current setup is still all about preparation, not the scoreboard.
“It’s definitely different because you have to use the practices to really prepare your mind and your body for the games,” Godwin said. “Luckily, just having the experience that I’ve had, you kind of know what to expect in a game, you kind of know when you feel game-ready. You just have to be really, really intentional about the work that you get in in practice.
“The coaches do a good job of structuring things that way as well so you’re constantly building up for that. Sure, the games help, but the preseason is a much different speed than the regular season anyway. It’s like, you get a little bit of a look but it’s not like…If you go into regular season expecting it to be the speed of the preseason you’re going to get your head cracked.”
Tez Johnson, meanwhile, made his return to the action after being slowly eased back into practice last week. He didn’t play in the preseason game, so Tuesday was his first chance in a while to face different competition.
“It feels good just to be out there with my brothers,” Johnson said. “It always sucks when you’re not out there with them.
Just being back at joint practice today, I got to get my feet back from under me, but it just feels good having my teammates with me and encouraging me to be back and excited for me to be back. It feels great.”
Johnson was more measured than Godwin when asked about how the offense looked, but his reaction suggested the unit knows it has work to do.
“We have some stuff to clean up,” Johnson said. “Not every day is going to be a perfect day.
We’ve got ups and downs in football. One day you look great, one day you look bad.
Today, we got to just got to go back to the hotel and just watch film and fix our mistakes.”
In Other News...
Bucs Win Total Is Suddenly Becoming A Real Debate
National analysts are starting to sound a lot more intrigued by the Buccaneers than they were a few months ago. After a rough finish last season and the usual offseason noise around contracts, the conversation has shifted toward whether Tampa Bay might be better positioned than the broader public assumed, with voices like Dominique Foxworth, Kimberley Martin and Dan Pompei all leaning more optimistic about the coming year.
Pompei went so far as to suggest the Bucs could clear an eight-win expectation, and the reasoning behind that outlook is becoming easier to follow. Rookie Rueben Bain Jr. adds another layer of intrigue, offensive coordinator Zac Robinson gives the offense a different feel, and Baker Mayfield enters the season with plenty of motivation after the way things unfolded a year ago. For a team that was being written off not long ago, that kind of quiet momentum has made Tampa Bay one of the more interesting debates in the league. [Read more 🡒]
Baker Mayfield Just Reopened A Buccaneers Question Fans Know Too Well
The Buccaneers joint practice with the Jaguars ahead of the preseason finale offered a familiar backdrop for Tampa Bay fans, with Baker Mayfield taking a moment to revisit one of the more meaningful coaching relationships of his recent run. Mayfield spoke highly of Liam Coen, his former offensive coordinator in Tampa Bay and now the Jaguars head coach, pointing to Coens adaptability and the way he communicates with quarterbacks. It was the kind of reminder that can make a practice field feel a little more like a reunion, even with the season still ahead.
For the Buccaneers, though, it also nudged open a question they know well: what exactly did Coens arrival mean for Mayfields game, and how much of that success followed him out of Tampa Bay? Coen has since helped both Mayfield and Trevor Lawrence turn in strong performances in recent seasons, giving his rsum a broader reach and keeping his name in the same conversation whenever quarterback development comes up. For a team that has already moved on, the connection is still hard to ignore. [Read more 🡒]
Bucs Rookie LB Is Forcing His Way Into A Bigger Role
Josiah Trotter has kept turning heads throughout Buccaneers training camp, and his play in the joint practices has only strengthened the case that he belongs in a much larger role right away. The rookie inside linebacker has flashed as a run stopper, as a blitzer and in coverage, giving Tampa Bay a look at a player who seems comfortable doing just about everything asked of him.
The buzz picked up even more after he intercepted a Trevor Lawrence pass during work against the Jaguars, the kind of play that tends to stick with a coaching staff. Todd Bowles has already praised Trotters instincts and football intelligence, and with injuries thinning the linebacker room, the path is opening for him to line up next to Alex Anzalone and handle an every-down workload sooner than expected. [Read more 🡒]