TAMPA, Fla. — For all the world knows, Chris Godwin may be dialing up some misdirection for the Dallas Cowboys.
Or he truly may not be certain whether his surgically mended right knee will be ready for the rigors of an NFL worknight this weekend.
At any rate, the Bucs’ top returning receiver indicated after Thursday’s practice — in which he didn’t participate — that he essentially will be a game-time decision Sunday night at AT&T Stadium.
“I think ultimately what it comes down to is just one, how I’m feeling; and then two, the discussions that I have with Coach (Todd) Bowles and the training staff,” said Godwin, who underwent surgery Jan. 3 to repair two torn knee ligaments. “I think whenever the time comes for the game, I think everybody will know, but until then even I’m not sure.”
Speaking to local reporters for the first time in nearly six months, Godwin said he has been “very pleased” with his rehab from the injury sustained in a 9-0 home loss to the Saints on Dec. 19.
He embarked on positional drills at the outset of training camp, graduated to 11-on-11 work (albeit with a non-contact jersey) roughly midway through the preseason, and shed his cumbersome black brace earlier this week.
Removing that brace “was phenomenal,” said Godwin whose 98 receptions at the time of his injury were only six shy of the franchise’s single-season mark set 20 years earlier by Keyshawn Johnson. “Man, I think anybody that’s ever worn a knee brace understands how bulky those things are or how annoying they can be.”
Eight months after his surgery, contact seems far more of a concern than cutting. On Wednesday, Bowles made it clear he doesn’t want Godwin on the field until he feels 100 percent, but added the 2019 Pro Bowler never will know how the knee will respond until he’s hit around the legs in an actual game.
“You never really know until you get out there,” Godwin said.
“Like I said, mine was a contact injury, so I don’t really have any concerns about running and cutting like some guys may whenever they have non-contact injuries. I would imagine once I get that first hit, then it’s just back to ball.”
Empathizing with Godwin is no less a knee authority than Tom Brady, who tore the same two ligaments (in his left knee) after taking a hit from Chiefs safety Bernard Pollard in the Patriots’ 2008 opener, missing the remainder of the season.
“It’s a significant injury he’s faced, and it was a big hurdle for him to overcome,” Brady said Thursday.
“That rehab’s really tough. As someone who’s been through a torn ACL (via contact), that’s a very difficult injury. But he took it head-on and he’s done a great job.”
Godwin’s absence from Thursday’s practice was believed to be simply a maintenance day (fellow veteran Julio Jones didn’t practice Wednesday for the same reason) and unrelated to any type of setback. At this point, he said the key is balancing his searing desire to come back with the prudence of making certain he’s not returning too hastily and risking further damage.
“I think it’s just trying to be as smart as possible, because obviously the competitor in me wants to go as soon as I can,” he said.
“But just understanding that I wasn’t there for the end of the season last year, that stuff really gets to me. So it’s about trying to be as smart as I can, try to make the best decision not only for myself but what I feel like is going to help the team most down the stretch.”
In the meantime, the Bucs appear far more equipped to deal with his potential absence than they were last December.
To avoid a receiver shortage they experienced last season, when Godwin went down and Antonio Brown made his bizarre departure two weeks later, the Bucs replenished earlier this year by adding Jones and former Falcons star Russell Gage.
When asked if the presence of those reinforcements makes him feel comfortable about putting off his return if necessary, Godwin replied: “A hundred percent.”
“We have a loaded room full of receivers that can go make plays at every level of the field,” he added. “We’ve got talented guys in the running back room and in the tight end room. So we’re not lacking in any way in the skill-position department, so I think that really helps me in my process.”
Just when that process concludes winds down remains the prevalent question of Week 1.
“I’m not a doctor, so I don’t do time frames and different things like that,” Jones said. “But what I will say is, (Godwin) works his butt off.”
