Buccaneers WR Chris Godwin could be looking at a “multi-week absence” according to sources in the organization. The 26-year-old was forced out of Sunday’s 19-3 Week 1 win over the Dallas Cowboys with a hamstring strain in the second quarter.
Godwin’s status for Week 1 was the topic of debate for multiple weeks leading up to the season due to him suffering a torn ACL in Week 16 of last season. Our analysis determined that he would likely not be ready to play until Week 4 at the earliest, but Tampa Bay and Godwin himself believed otherwise, and appear to have rushed through the rehab process.
ACL tears generally take six to nine months to heal completely. Godwin’s torn ACL occurred in mid December of last year. That means the earliest he could have returned was sometime in June, however the Buccaneers didn’t think he was ready and held him out of practice until August 2022. He continued to ramp up his workload leading up to Week 1 and earned the green light, putting his total recovery time at just under nine months.
While that would indicate his ACL had healed, it didn’t necessarily mean his ramp up to professional level football activities was complete. Our very own Dr. A gave a breakdown on this, saying that Godwin would be best served waiting until Week 4 to make his 2022 debut, as he required additional time to nurse the ACL and get his body fully prepared for the NFL season.
While the hamstring strain he suffered is certainly something Tampa Bay will have to be cautious of moving forward, the good news is that he appears to have avoided major injury. That being said, hamstring strains are notoriously difficult for wide receivers to deal with, and the risk of recurrence is high.
Our algorithm calculates this to be a Grade 2 hamstring strain, and gives Godwin an Injury Risk of 52%, which is exceedingly High. His Health Performance Factor is equally disappointing, at 24%, which is considered Poor. His Optimal Recovery Time is 35 days.
