Shaquil Barrett and Chris Godwin, two of the NFL's most prominent breakout players in 2019, recently received the first Pro Bowl invites of their respective careers. On Friday, Barrett and Godwin were the recipients of an even more exclusive honor.
The Associated Press released its 2019 All-Pro teams on Friday, and while there were no Tampa Bay Buccaneers on the first team, both Barrett and Godwin were named to the second team. They are the first Tampa Bay players to win _AP_ All-Pro honors since Lavonte David, Mike Evans and Gerald McCoy were all second-team selections in 2016.
Barrett led the NFL with 19.5 sacks, setting a new single-season record for the Buccaneers. He also tied for the league lead with 37 quarterback hits and ranked third with six forced fumbles. Barrett finished the season on a rush, with three sacks against Atlanta in Week 17 to record his third game of the season with three or more sacks.
Godwin missed the last two games of the season with a hamstring injury but still finished third in the NFL with 1,333 receiving yards, the fourth-highest single-season total in franchise history. Godwin also tied for fourth in the league with nine touchdown receptions. His 95.2 receiving yards per game were second in the league only to the New Orleans Saints' MVP candidate, Michael Thomas. Godwin had six 100-yard games in his 14 outings, and in three of those he surpassed 150 yards.
Barrett is Tampa Bay's first edge rusher to receive _AP_ All-Pro recognition since Simeon Rice was a second-team choice in 2003. Godwin and Evans are the only two receivers in Buccaneers history to be named to either the first or second All-Pro team by the Associated Press.
The Associated Press NFL All-Pro team is selected annually by a national panel of 50 members of the media, each of whom casts a single vote at 30 positions, 11 on offense, 14 on defense and five on special teams. As such, it is a more exclusive honor than the Pro Bowl, even when the second team doubles those selections to 60.
Barrett was the third-leading vote-getter at edge rusher, where two players are selected to the first team. Arizona's Chandler Jones (32 votes) and Pittsburgh's T.J. Watt (22) took the first-team slots while Barrett (18) and New Orleans' Cameron Jordan (12) were the second-team selections. Barrett also received two votes at the linebacker position.
Godwin, named on 14 ballots, was the fourth-leading vote-getter at wide receiver, joining Atlanta's Julio Jones (16) as the second-team choices. The first team slots went to Thomas (50) and Houston's DeAndre Hopkins (18). Thomas was one of two players to be unanimous All-Pro selections this year, joining New England cornerback Stephon Gilmore. Godwin also received two votes at the flex position.
Other Buccaneers receiving votes from the _AP_ All-Pro voters in 2019 were Lavonte David (10 votes at linebacker) and Vita Vea (one vote at interior linemen).
