Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver Chris Godwin suffered a complex lower-body injury in Week 7 of the 2024 season. The injury involved a dislocated ankle, fractured fibula, torn deltoid and a high ankle sprain.
Since then, the Bucs wide receiver got surgery on his litany of injuries, which resulted in his missing the remainder of the 2024 season. Godwin then had another procedure in the spring of 2025 and has been recovering. He was on the PUP list in the preseason, but Tampa Bay decided to activate him from it ahead of the regular season.
This kept Godwin from being ruled out for the first four games of the season, causing many to wonder when he would finally return to the field.
📲 Follow The Sporting News on WhatsApp
Here is more on how much time Godwin will miss in 2025 due to an ankle injury he suffered in 2024.
What is Chris Godwin's injury?
Godwin was initially diagnosed with a dislocated ankle in Week 7 of the 2024 season. After more tests were done, it was determined he also had a fracture in his fibula, a torn deltoid and a high ankle sprain.
Godwin elected to pursue surgery to fix all of the issues, which ended his season last year, and the recovery has lingered into 2025 as he gets back into game shape, gearing up to get back on the field.
Tampa Bay was down 10 with less than a minute to go in the game. There was not a high chance that they'd be able to win, but the offense was trying to move fast. Quarterback Baker Mayfield hit Godwin coming across the middle. He turned the ball upfield and was tackled awkwardly by two Baltimore Ravens defenders. The video below shows the reception and tackle, but cuts away before showing anything too gruesome.
Prayers for Godwin 🙏 #MNFxESPN pic.twitter.com/m3EzWDcIlB
— 𝓚𝓪𝓼𝓪𝔂 𝓢 🎥 (@KLander_15) October 22, 2024
MORE NFL: Why did the Cowboys sign Jadeveon Clowney?
How long is Chris Godwin out?
Godwin has been sidelined since Week 7 of the 2024 season. He wasn't added to injured reserve or kept on the PUP list, which suggested that Tampa Bay at least thought that the wideout could return ahead of Week 5. If Godwin had been added to either list, he would have been forced to miss at least four games to start the regular season.
Tampa Bay won in Week 1 over the Atlanta Falcons, but Godwin wasn't active. The wide receiver practiced for the first time since sustaining his injury on Thursday ahead of the team's Week 2 game against the Houston Texans. He even carried a questionable tag into the weekend, but was ruled out ahead of the Monday night contest.
Godwin's return to practice is a good sign, but after nearly 10 months away from football, he is going to have to ramp up his activities. Even though he returned to practice in mid-September, he isn't expected to actually play in a game until October, per NFL Network's Judy Battista. This makes Tampa Bay's decision not to add Godwin to IR a little bit head-scratching. If they had, Godwin would be eligible to return after the team's Week 4 matchup against the Philadelphia Eagles on September 28.
The current plan, per NFL Network's Ian Rapoport, the current plan is for Godwin to debut in Week 5 on the road against the Seattle Seahawks, but he could also return in Week 6 at home against the 49ers. It all depends on how quickly he can get into game shape and not suffer any setbacks.
MORE NFL: How long will turf toe injury keep Bengals QB Joe Burrow out?
Buccaneers remaining 2025 schedule
| Week | Date | Opponent |
| 2 | 9/15 | at Texans |
| 3 | 9/21 | vs. Jets |
| 4 | 9/28 | vs. Eagles |
| 5 | 10/5 | at Seahawks |
| 6 | 10/12 | vs. 49ers |
| 7 | 10/20 | at Lions |
| 8 | 10/26 | at Saints |
| 9 | 11/2 | BYE WEEK |
| 10 | 11/9 | vs. Patriots |
| 11 | 11/16 | at Bills |
| 12 | 11/23 | at Rams |
| 13 | 11/30 | vs. Cardinals |
| 14 | 12/7 | vs. Saints |
| 15 | 12/11 | vs. Falcons |
| 16 | 12/21 | at Panthers |
| 17 | 12/18 | at Dolphins |
| 18 | TBD | vs. Panthers |