Green Bay Is Clearing the Runway For Matthew Golden

Matthew Golden’s frustration was evident at times during his rookie campaign, and the first-round pick out of Texas said as much on one occasion late in the year.

In an offseason where the Green Bay Packers have seen Romeo Doubs leave in free agency and then traded Dontayvion Wicks to the Philadelphia Eagles, one thing has become evident: The runway is open for Matthew Golden.

Offensive coordinator Adam Stenavich made some bizarre comments the week leading into Green Bay's postseason tilt against the Chicago Bears. After a year in which the Packers seldom used Golden after being selected in the first round, Stenavich

to double down on the process and on the idea that Golden wouldn't be a primary piece in the postseason.

“I think right now, just with the room the way it is,” he said. “He’s not going to be in that premier role when the playoffs come around.”

Obviously, given how the regular season played out, nobody expected the Packers to feature Golden in the playoffs. But it was odd that the offensive coordinator felt the need to lay it out again by noting how many mouths there were to feed.

Golden went out and posted four receptions for 84 yards and a touchdown against the Bears that week. It was his first receiving touchdown of the season and the second-most receiving yards he posted in any game.

A couple of months before that, Golden spoke rather calmly about his frustration with his usage, or lack thereof, along with a couple of injury hiccups. Even in a season where Watson missed the first seven weeks and Reed missed 10 games, head coach Matt LaFleur and Stenavich were unable to get Golden involved consistently.

Obviously, there’s frustration. I know what I can do. I've always had confidence in myself. I’m just trying to, obviously, just push through, trying my best to get back on the field, just trying to physically get my body right so I can try to help the team as much as I can.

At the NFL Scouting Combine in February, general manager Brian Gutekunst was asked

about Golden, and his responses were predictable but sprinkled with confidence.

I thought Matthew did a great job. I would have loved to have seen him get more opportunities through the year. It didn’t work out that way but, when he did, he performed, and he performed at a high level. I’m really excited to see where he goes in Year 2. Obviously, he was a third-year player coming out of college — one year at Texas, two years at Houston — so I think his ceiling is very, very high.

We’ll find premier about that ceiling now that Golden is catapulted straight into a starting spot alongside Watson and Reed, who will be in the slot. There's no reason Golden won't be starting on the boundary on one side with Watson on the other.

Doubs’ exit opens up a lot of space, given that he led all Packers wide receivers in snaps with 832. Surprisingly, Golden was second at 487, but take that with a grain of salt, considering Watson missed the first seven weeks, and Reed missed 10 games. Even with those heavy hitters missing significant time, Golden only played 43% of the snaps on offense.

Green Bay has a history of slowly bringing along rookie wide receivers. However, with Golden, it seemed even more slowed down, considering the injuries suffered at the position last season, not to mention his first-round draft pedigree.

The runway is now clear for Matthew Golden to take off in 2026. Fortunately for him, there still won't be pressure to carry too much weight, as Watson and Reed help alleviate a significant portion of that. There will be pressure for Golden to deliver, though, as he'll now be a starter playing starter snaps.

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Green Bay Is Clearing the Runway For Matthew Golden

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