Who Will Replace Buccaneers WR Chris Godwin in the Slot?
The Buccaneers suffered a devastating loss Monday when it was announced that Chris Godwin would miss the rest of the season with a torn ACL and MCL. Not only is Godwin the team's leading receiver heading into Week 16, but his role as the team's "Big Slot" player is arguably the second-most important position in Bruce Arians' offense.
There's a lot of ground to cover when it comes to the loss of Godwin. Per Pro Football Focus, 70.4% of his offensive snaps have come out of the slot, which is the fourth-most in the NFL among receivers with at least 81 targets on the year. His 411 snaps out of the slot leads the Bucs by a mile and 63.7% of his targets came out of the slot, which led to the 10th-highest yards per route run (1.84) among receivers and tight ends with at least 36 targets out of the slot.
So, now the question is obvious: Who on the Bucs can replace Godwin in the slot?
At the end of the day, Godwin is irreplaceable and that is no indictment on the other receivers; they just don't have the physical make-up nor the skill set to be as effective as Godwin. However, there are enough options to choose from and the loss can be mitigated to an extent with good coaching.
Using PFF, let's take a look at the possible options for the Bucs moving forward.
Mike Evans
- - 268 snaps out of the slot
- - 36.2% snap share
- - 24.0% target share
Excluding Godwin, Evans has the most snaps out of the slot and the highest snap share among the remaining players. He's an effective player, averaging 1.20 yards per route run on 18 receptions for 242 yards and two touchdowns.
Evans can be a nice play on the inside, so it'd make a lot of sense if the Bucs move him inside more often with Godwin out. The only issue is Evans is currently week-to-week with a hamstring injury. So, the Bucs are going to have to look further down the depth chart until Evans returns. But once he does, don't be surprised if you see a pretty decent increase in snaps on the inside.
Tyler Johnson
- 134 snaps out of the slot
- 31.7% snap share
- 34.1% target share
Johnson is probably the most ideal candidate to replace Godwin on a more-frequent basis. Arians has complimented his run blocking abilities in the past and there have even been numerous comparisons to Godwin in terms of Johnson's skill of creating yards after the catch.
The third-year receiver has 10 receptions for 118 yards out of the slot, which is good for an average of 1.23 yards per route run.
Johnson didn't climb the ladder many hoped he would during Antonio Brown's absence, but he has another opportunity to seize if he wishes he do so.
Tyler Johnson is getting another shot to show he's on the right path in terms of his development.
Rob Gronkowski
- 74 snaps out of the slot
- 24.8 % snap share
- 24.6% target share
Gronk averages right around 10 slot snaps per game, which should go up over the coming weeks. He's an excellent blocker and can still beat linebackers and safeties in coverage, making him a very viable option. His mark of 2.23 yards per route run is evidence of that.
But Tampa Bay likes to play him on the line a lot and he's needed there. So, while his role in the slot is likely to increase, I wouldn't count on Gronk seeing too much more action there.
Antonio Brown
- 42 snaps out of the slot
- 19.1% snap share
- 9.5% target share
This is easily the best dark horse pick of the bunch. Brown averaged just a bit over eight slot snaps per game, but his time in the slot was increasing before his ankle injury took him off the field. He logged season-highs of 10 and 12 snaps in Weeks 5 and 6, respectively.
Tom Brady doesn't target AB much out of the slot, but good things happen when he does. Brown has caught all four targets for 81 yards, which is good for a robust and team-leading 2.89 yards per route run.
Brown could very well see his role increase on the inside in the coming weeks. It's just a question of "how much".
Scotty Miller
- 31 snaps out of the slot
- 32.3% snap share
- 14.3% target share
Miller is mainly an outside guy and averaged around three snaps out of the slot before Week 15. He saw both a season- and career-high 18 slot snaps in Week 15, which has skewed his averages a bit. The fact that the 18 snaps were a career-high lends me to think that last week was more the result of game flow/outcome, than anything.
There's also the fact that Miller has literally done nothing in terms of receiving out of the slot all year long. Yes, he's been hurt and yes, the Bucs don't play him inside, but doesn't all of that answer the question we are currently trying to figure out?
Miller may play a few snaps, but I wouldn't expect him to carve out a role on the inside anytime soon.
Final Verdict
We are likely to see a bunch of guys pitch in, but there should still be some semblance of a pecking order. I'd imagine that Johnson takes over the majority of snaps until Evans returns and then we will probably see a healthy mix of those two with Brown and Miller on the outside. Depending on the play call, of course.
Usually, one guy can't replace a player like Godwin and that's going to be the case with the Bucs. But finding a solid rotation will go a long way in finding a solution and you never know - maybe one of the younger players will take a few steps in their development and become "the guy" while Godwin is out.
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