Bucs' Chris Godwin, Tristan Wirfs trending toward returning vs. Eagles

Rick Stroud, Tampa Bay Times on Sep 24, 2025

Published in Football

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TAMPA, Fla. — The Bucs needed a lift Wednesday, and Chris Godwin delivered it simply by walking onto the practice field.

He moved confidently with no cause for pause from a surgically repaired ankle. He simply has to get reacclimated to cutting and running routes again for quarterback Baker Mayfield.

But with Mike Evans expected to miss three to four weeks with a hamstring strain, Godwin’s timing couldn’t be better.

“He’s one of our mentally toughest players when you see him out there doing all the little things, from blocking to route running to catching and running with the football,” coach Todd Bowles said of Godwin, who hasn’t played since suffering a dislocated ankle against the Ravens last October.

“His competitive level is so high, and his mental intelligence is so high, he just keeps everybody up even if other people are down. So it’s good to see him out there.”

“He looks good,” Bowles continued. “It’s just a matter of getting tangled up and getting those types of things and guys cutting him or tackling him on his legs. You can’t simulate those types of things. Those will be things that we’re looking at.”

Godwin, who was a full participant Wednesday, is not the only player on track to provide a boost for the Bucs offense.

Left tackle Tristan Wirfs also may be poised to play after undergoing knee surgery in July. He was a limited participant Wednesday.

No determination on those players will be made until the end of the week, but Bowles indicated they would be huge additions before playing the defending Super Bowl champion Eagles Sunday at Raymond James Stadium.

“He did some things as well,” Bowles said of Wirfs. “We got to ramp him up a little more, and I think both of them will be end-of-the-week evaluations.

“Saturday and Sunday will play a big role. We’ve got to see how they react toward the end of the week. That’s why everything is on hold right now.”

Mayfield was a new addition to the injury report with a right biceps injury. He was limited Wednesday, as were linebacker Lavonte David (knee) and tackle Charlie Heck (knee).

If Wirfs is able to play, it potentially could begin to settle the Bucs reshuffled offensive line. Graham Barton, who has been playing left tackle the past three games, could move back to center. Ben Bredeson, who has been playing center, could move back to left guard. The Bucs started Heck at right tackle in Sunday’s win over the Jets.

With Godwin out, the Bucs have gotten a huge contribution from rookie Emeka Egbuka, who leads the club in receiving with 14 catches for 181 yards and three touchdowns. But that’s with Evans drawing many of the double teams.

“Obviously, Mike is a guy who completely changes how teams play us,” Mayfield said. “He draws a lot of attention. Obviously, in the midst of a game, we didn’t see them adjust and adapt that much when it came to Emeka, but we’ll see. Everybody has got to step up. One person who’s not going to fill Mike’s shoes. So everybody has got to step up and do their role at a very high level.”

Bowles echoed that sentiment Wednesday despite the fact that Evans could return in a few weeks.

“It hurts,” he said.

“Anytime your starter goes out, it’s going to hurt. No different than Tristan and Chris when they were out, and they’re just coming back. He’s a big part of our offense and actually everything goes through him, so we’ve got to adjust. And actually, we’ve been adjusting all year, and we’ll adjust this week.”