Matthew Golden is already setting up one of the more interesting Packers conversations of training camp.
Green Bay has made its intentions pretty clear. The team moved on from Romeo Doubs in free agency and traded Dontayvion Wicks, clearing a path for Golden to climb quickly. For now, he’s projected as the WR3 behind Christian Watson and Jayden Reed, but that label might not hold for long if Golden keeps building on what he showed in OTAs.
The buzz around Golden isn’t just about upside in the abstract. He picked up right where he left off after the Wild Card Round, and that’s what makes this situation worth watching. The Packers clearly believe in him, and the question now is how fast he can turn that belief into a real role.
That’s where Reed enters the picture. It wouldn’t make much sense to treat him like a placeholder.
Reed led the Packers in receiving in 2023 and 2024 when healthy, and he’s coming off an injury-shortened season that included surgery on both his foot and collarbone. Even with that setback, he returned in December and settled back into the offense without much trouble.
Over his last five games, including the playoffs and excluding eight Week 18 snaps that didn’t matter, Reed put up 20 catches, 205 receiving yards, and a touchdown. That’s a strong finish for a player who had missed three months in the middle of the season. He also signed a three-year, $50 million extension this offseason, which makes it obvious he remains part of Green Bay’s plans.
Still, the Packers may be headed toward a deeper conversation than simply Watson at the top, Reed at No. 2, and Golden at No. 3.
Watson looks like the clear lead option, but the space between Reed and Golden could shrink fast, maybe even by Week 1. If that happens, Green Bay won’t be dealing with a problem so much as a welcome surplus.
Golden’s challenge is straightforward: he has to make a real leap after an underwhelming rookie year. As the Packers’ first Round 1 receiver since Javon Walker in 2002, the pressure is baked in. Training camp, especially once the pads come on and “real football” begins, should tell everyone a lot more about whether Golden is ready to force that debate sooner than expected.
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