Why 2024's Chris Godwin may be the best version yet for Bucs Chris Godwin looked somewhat puzzled by the question, maybe even slightly perturbed. It was the only time he was off his game Sunday. After leading the Bucs with eight catches for 83 yards and a touchdown in their 37-20 season-opening win over the Washington Commanders, he was asked if what everyone had just witnessed was the vintage 2019 version of himself. "I think you're looking at 2024 Chris Godwin," he said sternly. "I'm always looking to go up. I understand what (the reporter's) getting at. But to me, it's always trying to take the next step, right? If I'm living in the past, I'm doing s--t wrong." Godwin could only do right against the Commanders. You want clutch? Seven of his eight catches resulted in first downs. During one scoring drive in the second quarter, quarterback Baker Mayfield looked for Godwin three consecutive times on third down and the Bucs converted all three. In fact, Godwin caught every pass thrown in his direction by Mayfield, including a 4-yard TD pass in the third quarter to give the Bucs a 23-7 lead. "Chris feels really good right now," Mayfield said. "I think he'll tell you guys that physically, he feels good, and you know, this offense plays to his strengths. He's always been a smart football player. He's willing to do whatever the coaches are going to ask, but this is now his opportunity to really shine and get back to that, at least. He's always been a stud, but yeah, Chris looks really good." No doubt Godwin's best season came in 2019, when he had 86 catches for 1,333 yards and nine touchdowns, both career highs. A hand injury during the 2020 Super Bowl season cut into his production, but he still was a go-to guy for Tom Brady. Then came the devastating knee injury, when he tore three knee ligaments in a December 2021 game against the Saints. Godwin still has managed to post three consecutive 1,000-yard receiving seasons, but last year, offensive coordinator Dave Canales moved him from his familiar position in the slot. At one point Godwin's wife, Mariah, pushed back on a claim that her husband was "banged up" after he failed to catch a pass on only three targets in a game against Carolina. She said the Bucs were "blatantly lying" about how an assortment of injuries limited the receiver's number of snaps in the win over the Panthers. It's unclear if Canales was the only one responsible for moving Godwin to another position. One thing is for sure, former head coach Bruce Arians didn't agree with it. The slot receiver position, while incredibly demanding physically, is one Godwin thrived in, Arians stressed. In any case, Godwin looked like Godwin again Sunday: Physical in the run game and able to come down with combat catches in traffic on third down. Coen made smart use of him. "We got to spread it around a bunch," Godwin said. "A lot of guys got involved. It was a nice mix of runs, pass, screens. And it helps out there when you have 6 out there running the show." Of course, No. 6 is Mayfield, who was in complete control, completing 24 of 30 for 289 yards and four touchdowns. Two of those went to Mike Evans, including one in which he won a hand fight with Commanders cornerback Benjamin St.-Juste. Head coach Todd Bowles was asked which Evans TD he liked most. "Probably the first one," Bowles said. "The first one because Juice was all over him. He had the guy his size and his height and there was the hand fighting and to still come down with that was impressive." Not only is Mayfield's chemistry with Evans and Godwin perfect, he has an explosive third receiver in rookie Jalen McMillan. Mayfield missed McMillan on two passes in the first half, including one that would have been a walk-in TD but bounced off his fingertips. But Mayfield came back to McMillan in the fourth quarter, connecting on a 32-yard TD pass. "It's very, very satisfying because all of us have been there," Godwin said. "You get into the league and you're just very, very eager to make a play. Things don't necessarily go your way the first couple of times, you just have to stay with it, being persistent and being in the moment. ... For his first catch to be a touchdown, I'm sure he's pumped about that." Remember when the Bucs' Super Bowl 55 team turned the corner? Antonio Brown arrived after an eight-game suspension, drawing man coverage emerging as a deep threat for Brady. With Coen, the Bucs offense may get back to averaging 30 points per game the way they did in 2020 and 2021. And with a healthy and productive Godwin back at his old position, the 2024 version may be the best yet. "He looked great," Bowles said. "He did some things in the run game as well as the pass game. He got loose on some plays. He made some big catches, and Chris looked like Chris." Rick Stroud, Tampa Bay Times, published 9 September 2024