Have the Buccaneers Found the Replacement for Chris Godwin?
When we wrote about the potential replacements for Chris Godwin a week ago, we thought we had it all figured out.
And as it turned out, we didn't have anything figured out. At least for Week 15. Fortunately for the Buccaneers, they had an ace up their sleeve in the form of Cyril Grayson Jr., who played a total of 70 offensive snaps over the course of his entire career before logging 53 in Sunday's game against the Panthers, alone.
And the key part about those snaps? 20 of them (38%) came out of the slot, which was the most total snaps and second-highest snap share on the team. Tyler Johnson's 44% snap share out of the slot led the team, but he had 16 total snaps, which was the second-most total snaps for the day.
Grayson also took two snaps on the line and one snap in the backfield, which is what Godwin did from time-to-time, as well.
But it's not all about playing receiver when it comes to Godwin's role in Bruce Arians' offense. You have to be an effective blocker.
And according to Arians, Grayson Jr. isn't just an effective blocker. He's a ferocious one.
"Cyril made a great effort play on Ke'Shawn's run and he had a big play, also," Arians told reporters after the game. "He's played big each time he's gotten an opportunity.
"Cyril, he's a ferocious blocker. He's a speed guy, but he will block. And at that position, you gotta be able to block. He's gotten so much better. If there was a most improved player in the last two years [it's him]. He's worked harder than anybody that we've had on our practice squad and every time he's had an opportunity, he's flashed."
When you listen to Grayson and how he approaches the game, it makes total sense why he's taken advantage of his opportunities against the Saints and now the Panthers.
"I think it's just the way I prepare," said Grayson. "I always say, 'Prepare as if you're gonna be the [next] guy up'. The weeks leading into it, doing all the practice squad reps and stuff like that, I tell them, 'Don't take me out', so I can get my wind up just in case I end up in a situation where I take a lot of reps. And then it's just the preparation in the classroom and just paying attention and then those reps and the mistakes that we make -all of that- we compile those things for whenever it's game time. And we make the best of our opportunity, because it's slim, and whenever they come, you wanna put yourself in the best position so you can put your best foot forward."
Don't look now, but as of right now, Grayson is doing the same things Godwin did and he's doing them more than any other player on the team. It remains to be seen as to whether or not this role is Grayson's to lose moving forward, but it's hard to not be excited for the future based off Sunday's performance.
Stay tuned to AllBucs for further coverage of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and other NFL news and analysis. Follow along on social media at @SIBuccaneers on Twitter and Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sports Illustrated on Facebook.
