The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are going to be relying on wide receiver Chris Godwin Jr. quite a bit this season.

After Mike Evans left the Bucs for the San Francisco 49ers, Godwin became the veteran leader of Tampa's receivers. Without Evans, Godwin has embraced his leadership role, but the offense is also going to need him to help replace the franchise legend's production.

Throughout his career, Godwin has been an incredibly productive player for the Bucs. Over his nine seasons in Tampa, he has amassed 612 catches, 7,626 receiving yards, and 41 receiving touchdowns. The Bucs will be depending on Godwin not only to produce but also to stay healthy.

The latter has been a problem lately. Godwin has missed 17 games over the past two seasons with various injuries. If the Bucs are to get back to the playoffs and possibly make a run, they need Godwin staying on the field.

While the Bucs organization is very familiar with Godwin and everything he brings to the table, new offensive coordinator Zac Robinson, who was picked as the team's "most intriguing newcomer,"  has just started to get to know him. Godwin and Robinson have worked together for only a few months, but the new OC already has high praise for the veteran receiver.

Speaking with reporters on Thursday, Robinson was asked about Godwin's performance and what his veteran presence brings to the team. Robinson couldn't stop gushing about his receiver, saying he will probably go down as one of his all-time favorite people to be around.

Robinson has been very impressed with Godwin. Not only his ability, but also his leadership and his connection with quarterback Baker Mayfield. The OC thinks Godwin has had a great camp and is looking forward to what he can do once the real games start.

"Yeah, he's a total stud, human being, football player. I mean, you guys know 'C.G.' (Chris Godwin Jr.). He'll probably go down as one of my all-time favorite guys to be around and I've been around him just a short amount of time. So yeah, he means a lot to this organization clearly from his career here and his training camp was impressive, like seeing him come back from the injuries [and] where he's at right now. He's moving around great. He's had a great training camp. Obviously, Baker [Mayfield] has a ton of trust in him to throw in some tight windows and tight coverage. He's got strong, aggressive hands, all those things. Then, the stuff that we haven't been able to see is his ability with the ball in his hands to break tackles and do the things that he does. So yeah, I've been really impressed just with him as a person. He's a lead-by-example [player], and then when he speaks up, guys listen for sure. He's been awesome to just get to know. He had a great training camp. It's fun to see him rolling."

If Godwin can stay healthy, he should thrive in Robinson's offense. The Bucs' offense was terrific with Liam Coen as OC in 2024. Robinson's system should be very similar to Coen's and help the offense rebound after last season's disappointment.

Robinson has nothing but great things to say about Godwin, which comes as no surprise.

Godwin has been an outstanding receiver his entire career in Tampa, and now has a chance to show what he can do without Evans.

His experience and willingness to be a leader for the Bucs' young receivers like Emeka Egbuka, Jalen McMillan, and Ted Hurst make him invaluable to the team.

Robinson also had high praise for Godwin as a person, which has been the reputation he's earned his entire career.

As long as Godwin has put his injury issues behind him, this season could be his best in years.