When the Jacksonville Jaguars hired Liam Coen early in 2025, they became a logical destination for wide receiver Chris Godwin in free agency. After all, he played for Coen during his stint as the offensive coordinator for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers last year.
On top of that, the Jags wanted to bolster Trevor Lawrence's arsenal of weapons, so pursuing the former Pro Bowl nod seemed like a no-brainer. Ultimately, though, they passed on him in favor of Dyami Brown. Fast forward to July, and the decision looks great in light of recent news.
The Bucs announced that they placed Godwin on the Physically Unable to Perform list to start training camp. This doesn't come as a surprise, as he's rehabbing an ankle injury he suffered in Week 7 of the 2024 season. What wasn't known is that he had a procedure done in the spring to clean it out, according to Jenna Laine of ESPN.
Just recently, Tampa Bay head coach Todd Bowles told the local media that Godwin is coming along fine but didn't commit to the veteran receiver being ready for the opener.
A third-round pick in the 2017 draft, Godwin has spent his whole career with the Buccaneers, appearing in 111 games with 84 starts and logging 579 catches for 7,266 yards with 39 touchdowns. He was set to become a free agent in March but chose to return to Tampa despite the fact that he had better offers from both the New England Patriots and the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Related: Trevor Lawrence drops an eye-popping update about his health to start Jaguars training camp
Why the Jaguars got it right when they chose Dyami Brown in favor of Chris Godwin
The Jags raised eyebrows when they gave Dyami Brown a one-year deal worth $10 million in free agency. At the time, the decision seeemed baffling because the 2021 third-round pick was a non-factor early in his stint with the Washington Commanders and only turned the corner late in 2024..
Nevertheless, the Jaguars brass said at the time of the signing that they were certain Brown could build off of his strong end to the 2024 season with the Commanders. So far, he's rewarded the team's trust, as he had a strong offseason and is poised to pick up where he left off last year. Meanwhile, Chris Godwin may or may not be ready for the season opener.
Now, hindsight is 20/20, and you could make the case that not all free-agent signings pan out. You would be right, but it's also worth noting that Liam Coen knew first-hand just how serious Godwin's injury was, and there's a chance he knew that he was going to need to undergo surgery to clean up his ankle. This is just a conjecture, but it isn't out of the realm of possibility.
In the end, the Jaguars appear to be pleased with Dyami Brown and should be commended if he gets off to a strong start to 2025 and Chris Godwin misses time. Either way, it's fair to say that they aren't feeling buyer's remorse, at least not in the early stages of training camp.