Edward the confessor would have made a lousy commander. I can't imagine him in the middle of a scildwall.
Ah, so
obviously anyone incapable of standing in a shieldwall would be absolutely hopeless as a military commander, and presumably similarly incompetent as a wartime king.
Firstly, I'd be interested in knowing on what grounds you regard Edward as militarily incompetent. Aside from anything else he was raised in Normandy, which suggests he had some proficiency with weapons.
Edward survived his father's disastrous reign, the Danish invasion, being raised in exile, dangerous missions for his father (many of his brothers did not) and from these origins led England out of the last Danish occupation and ruled successfully for two decades, his reign recalling the golden age of Edgar. This was not due to dumb luck; Edward was a majestic statesman and a consumate survivalist. His reputation as an out-of-touch, grey-bearded ascetic is the creation of a later age. Certainly he was pious, but he was also tough as leather.
In a war between Edward and Godwine, it could go either way, but I'm leaning towards Edward. Godwine might be very powerful, with a close hold on the old Kingdom of Wessex, but he also had a lot of enemies. Of the other earls, I think Siward would almost certainly stand behind Edward, and I think Leofric would too. Add the king's continental connections, and I think the Confessor has it.