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By Matthew Davis
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The Tampa Bay Buccaneers will need a new No. 1 wide receiver after Mike Evans departed for the San Francisco 49ers on Monday via free agency.
Buccaneers insider Greg Auman of FOX Sports believes the team already has the guy in the building to take on the No. 1 role. Auman wrote via X that longtime veteran Chris Godwin will get his shot to lead the receiver room despite injuries of late and the emergence of Emeka Egbuka as a rookie sensation last year.
“Big year ahead for Chris Godwin, who has spent his entire career with Mike Evans,” Auman wrote. “Limited by injuries the last 2 years, he'll have a chance to show what he can do leading the room. Had 7+ TDs 3 years straight from 2018-20, 5 or fewer each of last 5 years. Chance to reset himself.”
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A third-round draft pick from Penn State in 2017, Godwin has 612 receptions for 7,626 yards and 41 touchdowns in his career. Godwin made the Pro Bowl in 2019 and All-Pro honors that year.
He has been a dangerous receiver in Evans’ shadow throughout his career, and Godwin’s absence has been noticed when he was injured. Tampa Bay has invested in him, too, with a three-year $66 million contract extension last year.
As for pairing with Egbuka, it’s now on the second-year star to help Godwin produce a dynamic duo like the Evans-Godwin combo that powered the Buccaneers offense for nearly a decade. That said, Evans and Godwin produced an all-time great combo, so it will be a lot of Egbuka and Godwin to live up to.
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“So Mike Evans and Chris Godwin stop at a combined 17,100 yards as receivers on the same team together, sixth-most in NFL history,” Auman wrote via X.
Evans and Godwin had quite a way to go for first place all-time, which is held by former Los Angeles/St. Louis Rams greats Isaac Bruce and Torry Holt. Bruce and Holt combined for 21,310 yards between 1999 and 2007.
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