NFC Notes: Chris Godwin, Marshon Lattimore, Kyle Pitts, Buccaneers, Falcons, Saints

Buccaneers

Bucs WR Chris Godwin is excited to be back inside at the slot in an effort to perform to the best of his abilities in a contract year.

“I think what I learned over the last four or five years, I’m really comfortable there,” Godwin said, via Rick Stroud of Tampa Bay Times. “And obviously I feel like I have a lot of versatility playing inside and outside and I think that flexibility of being inside allows me to get more creative, allows me to be a little more involved in the run game and not be so obvious. It allows me to be involved in other ways instead of just catching the ball.”

Godwin is beginning to feel like himself again after suffering a knee injury in 2021 in which he tore three different ligaments.

“I think quietly, I am having my own streak of 1,000 yards at three (years), including the year I got hurt. I don’t think that’s something that’s easy to do,” he said. “So I’m proud about that. That speaks to my professionalism, being able to work through adversity. Also, my coaches and teammates believe in me to go out and make the plays. I’m fortunate to be here. Just blessed to be here.”

Bucs HC Todd Bowles agrees that Godwin’s best position is the slot.

“He’s an inside guy by nature,” Bowles said. “He can play outside, but he can make a living inside doing a bunch of things for us and we’re planning on letting him do a lot of things he does best. … He looks a lot quicker, a lot lighter and he’s healthier now. He’s eager to learn and get the offense down, so we’re just excited to have him out on the field.”

Godwin is approaching a contract year with Tampa Bay but hopes to remain in the organization.

“I feel like one thing you guys have learned about me and Mike is that we’re the ultimate pros,” Godwin said. “We come in and handle our business. We realize the off-field stuff is a business, too, but we’ve got to let that take care of itself. We’re both guys that enjoy what we do. We enjoy the people we work with. I’m blessed to be out here putting the work in.”

Falcons

Falcons HC Raheem Morris reiterated that the team views TE Kyle Pitts as a long-term building block.

“He’s very excited about being healthy, and so are we,” Morris said, via Around The NFL. “Getting a healthy Kyle Pitts gives you a really dynamic player that we believe in a lot. Hence, the picking up of his option (and) letting him be a part of our immediate and hopefully our long-term future.”

Morris added that he hopes to get the best out of Pitts moving forward and said it’s on the coaching staff to make that happen.

“If we can get this guy going, we all know what he could be,” Morris said. “That’s the job of the coach, to find out what a player can be and go get the best out of him. Hopefully, myself, along with my staff, and all of our coaches, we can go and get the best version of Kyle Pitts because that will be really good for all of us.”

Saints

Saints HC Dennis Allen said he addressed the trade speculation with CB Marshon Lattimore and that the two had a positive conversation and are moving forward together.

“I just thought it was something we needed to communicate,” Allen said, via PFT. “There’s been a lot of talk outside of our building about trades and things of that nature. I just felt like it was probably time that he and I had a conversation. It was a positive conversation and we’re looking forward to getting him out here when he’s here and working with him.”