What's next for the Bucs after losing WRs Godwin and Evans?

TAMPA, Fla. – A day after Chris Godwin suffered a dislocated left ankle in the final minute of play on “Monday Night Football,” the Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver sat with his teammates in a dim training room at the team's AdventHealth Training Center.

Not only will Godwin likely miss this year, but the team will also be without Mike Evans, who suffered a hamstring injury that is expected to keep him out until at least after Tampa's bye in Week 11.

“He just told us he believes in us,” rookie wide receiver Jalen McMillan said of Godwin. “And I believe in us too.”

Still, it feels like a doomsday scenario for the Buccaneers, who are competing for a fourth straight league title, fifth straight postseason appearance and, as they've talked about all summer, a trip to the Super Bowl.

Evans and Godwin are the franchise's all-time leaders in receiving yards, and Godwin was poised for what could have been a career year. At the end of Week 7, Godwin ranked third in the NFL in touchdowns (five) – just one behind Evans and Ja'Marr Chase – and led the league in receptions (50). His 576 receiving yards trail only Chase (620).

“These guys, we love them,” outside linebacker Joe Tryon-Shoyinka said, “and it hurts so much to see them go down — especially the way they did it.”

The Bucs (4-3) face the Atlanta Falcons (4-3) on a short Sunday (1 p.m. ET, FOX) in an NFC South matchup that could have significant postseason implications. A win would give the Falcons the division lead and the head-to-head tiebreaker after they beat Tampa in overtime in a Week 5 thriller.

Things don't get any easier in Week 9 when the Bucs take on the Kansas City Chiefs – the only team still undefeated.

Still, Godwin, who underwent surgery to repair his ankle this week, was finally feeling recovered from a torn ACL/MCL he suffered in late 2021 before going down on Monday.

“It was tough to see (Godwin’s injury),” McMillan said. “Chris is the focus, he's a leader, he's someone I can rely on when it comes to maneuvering around the league and being a rookie. So, you know, it sucked, but we've got to pick up where we left off.” “At the end of the day, her absence shouldn't make our offense worse, it should just continue to improve and get better every week for these guys as well.”

Quarterback Baker Mayfield, who is about to retire, may feel the impact of the loss of Evans and Godwin the most.

“I mean, it obviously sucks,” Mayfield said. “There’s no way around it.”

He left Monday's game leading the NFL in touchdown passes (18), with the next closest competitors, Lamar Jackson and Jordan Love, having 15 each.

“You don’t want to see anyone get hurt, but you should want to play for these guys,” Mayfield said. “You know, you should want to bridge that gap in the meantime until we get Mike back too, but yeah, you should want to play for these guys. They meant a lot to this team.”

The defense already lost starting outside cornerback Jamel Dean to a hamstring injury that landed him on injured reserve last week, and starting nickel defense Tykee Smith is now likely to miss Sunday with a concussion.

Cornerback Zyon McCollum said he felt the defense had a responsibility to carry the load regardless.

“As a defender, I'm like, 'We need to step up our game,'” McCollum said. “We have to put more pressure on our game, we have to add more. And sometimes that makes the guys break down, but for me it's motivation. And when I see one side go down, that just means the other side has to balance out.

On the offensive side, they will need more from McMillan, who impressed in training camp but had a quiet start to the season and missed two games with a hamstring injury. He caught 120 passes every day after practice and is working on building a connection with Mayfield.

“I had a really good conversation with Jalen, I think it was on Sunday, and I just said, 'Hey, this is the week,'” offensive coordinator Liam Coen said. “We talked about, 'This is the week you really need to show up, and I trust you.'”

There are also second-year receivers Trey Palmer and Sterling Shepard, who not only have extensive slot experience at the pro level, but have also worked with Mayfield since their college days at Oklahoma. Shepard's workload is expected to increase the most after playing 44.9% of offensive snaps in Week 7.

“I have a lot of confidence in these guys,” Mayfield said, adding that he’s willing to put in extra time after practice and off the field to make those relationships work. “Obviously I've had a good relationship with Trey since last year, with Sterling of course for years and with Jalen throughout the offseason and training camp. I expect these guys to have success and play really well all week. … We expect everyone to take a big step forward.

Rakim Jarrett, who had a solid training camp, is currently in his 21-day training window after coming off injured reserve and could be activated. Ryan Miller was also signed from the practice squad after making a 39-yard catch against the Saints in Week 6.

While there is a possibility that the team could trade for a wide receiver, the coaching staff is willing to play with what they have.

“There are people out there,” Bowles said of the receiver market, “but for what we would have to give up to get them, it’s probably not worth it in the long run.”

The Chiefs acquired DeAndre Hopkins from the Tennessee Titans on Wednesday for a fifth-round pick, who will become a fourth-rounder if the Chiefs win the Super Bowl and Hopkins plays 60% of the snaps as a Chief. And last week, the Buffalo Bills acquired Amari Cooper and a 2025 sixth-round pick for a 2025 third-round pick and a 2026 seventh-round pick, and the New York Jets acquired Davante Adams for a conditional 2025 third-round pick.

“Right now we’re excited to see our young guys play,” Bowles said. “We had to play without some defensive players this year, now we have to play without some offensive players. We did pretty well. We think we’ll get along pretty well with these guys.”