Tampa Bay Buccaneers receiver Chris Godwin will have surgery on his dislocated left ankle, which will probably keep him out for the rest of the regular season.
Coach Todd Bowles mentioned on Tuesday that the Bucs (4-3) recently lost their 10-time 1,000-yard receiver Mike Evans to a hamstring injury during Monday night’s 41-31 loss to Baltimore. They are still hoping that Godwin could return if the team makes a deep playoff run in January.
“He will be undergoing surgery very soon and probably be out for the year,” Bowles said. “There’s a chance, if we can make a late playoff run, he could be back.”
In the meantime, Evans is expected to miss at least the next three games against Atlanta, Kansas City, and San Francisco. He might return after Tampa Bay’s bye week when they face the New York Giants on November 24.
“It’s moderate, but it’s hurting pretty good right now,” Bowles said about Evans’ hamstring injury, which he aggravated while catching the 100th touchdown of his career early in the first quarter on Monday night.
Baker Mayfield almost connected with Evans in the end zone again in the second quarter, but the ball slipped through Evans’ hands as he and Ravens cornerback Brandon Stephens fell to the ground.
Trainers worked on Evans for several minutes before helping him to his feet, and he limped to the locker room.
Godwin was injured in the last minute of the game, prompting Bowles to explain why Godwin—who had been having the best start of his career with an NFL-leading 50 receptions for 576 yards and five touchdowns—was still on the field in a game where the Bucs had little chance of winning, especially with Evans already hobbled and in the locker room.
“He’s a player. We’re trying to win the ballgame. We were still down 10, we’re trying to get extra points and kick another onside kick,” Bowles said. “It just happened. With Mike (Evans) going down, we didn’t have that many receivers left as it was, so we play what we got.”
Mayfield mentioned that he can’t remember being on a team that lost two players in a game who are as important as Godwin and Evans are to the Bucs. “Definitely not two of the guys that are the huge heartbeat of this team,” the quarterback said.
“But like I said, we have to find a way. … We’re going to be playing for first place in the division next week at home against Atlanta,” Mayfield added. “Got to have guys step up. That’s just the way it is. There’s no other way around it.”
