Clarity emerges regarding Chris Godwin’s latest injury, and it’s not the obvious conclusion some may have reached
Tampa Bay will be without Godwin and a number of other starters against the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers WR Chris Godwin suffered one of the most gruesome injuries of the 2024 season on Monday Night Football in a 41-31 loss to the Baltimore Ravens. He suffered a stomach-turning dislocated ankle that ended his season and set him on a long road to recovery.
That road took him beyond the start of the 2025 season, and he made his season debut in Week 4 against the Philadelphia Eagles. However, he popped up on the injury report this week with what was stated to be a fibula issue. As the fibula is a bone that connects to the ankle joint, it was fair to believe that it may have been related to his prior ankle injury.
According to Todd Bowles, that’s apparently not the case. Bowles said after practice on Friday that his fibula injury, which occurred in the Bucs’ win over Seattle, is in a different area from his prior injury and that he’s week to week with the issue.
Bucs WR Chris Godwin dealing with a fibula injury that’s not in the same spot as his 2024 injury
“It’s a different part of his leg, so he’s week to week with that,” Bowles said to the media after practice. “I don’t know if it was a hit or a twist, but I just saw him limp off.”
Bowles went ahead and ruled Godwin out for Sunday against the San Francisco 49ers, as well as RBs Bucky Irving and Josh Williams, WR Mike Evans, and CBs Zyon McCollum and Benjamin Morrison. In his place, the Bucs will turn to Sterling Shepard, Tez Johnson, and Ryan Miller.
It’s a tough break for Godwin, who has had to jump up to game speed without a normal training camp and no preseason activity. Through two games, Godwin has 6 catches on 14 targets for 52 yards.
The Bucs and 49ers get underway at 4:25 pm ET on Sunday afternoon at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa.
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