The Green Bay Packers enter the 2026 NFL season with a thinner wide receiver group, and Matthew Golden suddenly sits at the center of it.
Dontayvion Wicks is gone after being traded to the Philadelphia Eagles, and Romeo Doubs left in free agency for the New England Patriots. That leaves Christian Watson, Jayden Reed and Golden, along with tight end Tucker Kraft, as the main options on offense.
Golden is the name that jumps off the page. His rookie season didn’t deliver much, but there’s a sense that the second year could look very different. One AFC executive even went so far as to predict a breakout in 2026, while also taking a shot at how Green Bay handled him last season.
"I'm not really sure why they didn't use him, but I loved him coming out. He can fly," an AFC executive told ESPN's Jeremy Fowler.
That criticism makes sense when you look at Golden’s numbers. In his first season as a first-round receiver, he finished with 20 catches on 44 targets for 361 yards and no touchdowns. He also carried the ball 10 times for 49 yards without finding the end zone.
What makes the whole thing harder to explain is how Green Bay finally used him in the playoffs. Against the Chicago Bears, Golden turned in his best outing of the year, catching four passes on five targets for 84 yards and a touchdown. It came late, and it stood out because the rest of the season had offered so little.
The Packers have a fair question to answer there. Golden’s talent was never really in doubt, but his role was limited for most of his rookie year.
Now the setup looks different. With Doubs and Wicks gone, the path to more targets is wide open, and Golden is positioned for a much bigger season than he had as a rookie. A breakout in 2026 would not come as a shock.
In Other News...
Packers Practice Squad Move Hints At A Bigger Offensive Plan
The Packers filled their final practice-squad opening by signing rookie running back Damon Bankston, a move that fits neatly with the kind of backfield they seem to be building. Bankston first came through Green Bay as a pre-draft visitor, then landed with the New York Giants as an undrafted free agent before making his way back to the Packers, where his skill set lines up with an offense leaning into outside zone concepts.
For a team continuing to shape both its roster and its scheme, the addition is more than simple depth. Green Bay has been piecing together personnel that makes sense for what it wants to do on offense, and Bankstons fit in that system is hard to miss. Whether the move is mostly about competition, development, or something bigger in the playbook, it adds another clue about the direction the Packers are heading. [Read more 🡒]
Packers Rookie Trust Will Be Tested Right Away Against The Vikings
The Packers are heading into their 2026 season opener against the Vikings with an unusually heavy dose of rookie responsibility baked into the plan. Without a Day 1 draft pick in this class, Green Bay will need its younger additions to fill in more than just the margins, and that makes the early season evaluation especially important for a team that wants to know quickly which newcomers can handle real work.
J. Michael Sturdivant is part of that picture after making the initial 53-man roster as an undrafted rookie wide receiver, but his immediate role against Minnesota is expected to be limited. Even so, his presence on the roster underscores how much the Packers are leaning on unproven talent right out of the gate, with the opener offering an early look at which rookies are ready when the stakes rise. [Read more 🡒]
Packers Have An Early Opportunity Fans Couldn't Count On Last Year
The Packers are heading into 2026 with something they did not always have a year ago: a healthier roster and a better chance to settle in before the schedule tightens. Most of the group has been on the field in practice ahead of Week 1, with Warren Brinson and Micah Parsons among the few exceptions as Parsons continues his recovery from injury. That alone gives Green Bay a different kind of runway entering the season, especially compared with the constant juggling act of the previous year.
The early slate also looks more forgiving than what this team has had to navigate in other seasons, and that matters for a club trying to build momentum quickly. When the offense under Matt LaFleur and Jordan Love has had its core available, it has shown a steadier level of play, which is part of why there is some quiet confidence around this group. If the Packers can take advantage of this opening stretch, they could spend a lot less time surviving and a lot more time proving they belong in the conversation. [Read more 🡒]