By now, it's become increasingly clear that the Green Bay Packers are eager to see what they have in rising second-year wide receiver Matthew Golden. The club has hinted as much with its offseason activity, and now ESPN's Rob Demovsky affirmed that notion even more.
The Packers are "clearing the way" for Golden to "move up the depth chart," per Demovsky. That's why Green Bay let Romeo Doubs leave and join the New England Patriots in free agency and traded Dontayvion Wicks to the Philadelphia Eagles.
Green Bay is ostensibly betting on Golden living up to his lofty draft billing sooner rather than later. Despite being a bit disappointing as a rookie, there's an internal belief that he was "ready for more," according to Demovsky. The Packers selected him No. 23 overall in the 2025 NFL Draft for a reason and suddenly appear prepared to show everyone why.
Packers insider confirms WR shake-up is centered around Matthew Golden
Evidently, the Packers' brass holds Golden in high regard. Otherwise, retaining Doubs or keeping Wicks would've been a priority. Demovsky referenced some notable comments from Packers general manager Brian Gutekunst's end-of-season press conference regarding the franchise's first first-round wideout since Javon Walker in 2002.
Regardless of the limited sample size, Gutekunst came away impressed with Golden's efforts upon arriving in Green Bay. The former is "really excited" to see the latter's growth in Year 2. So much so that the Packers were comfortable moving on from Doubs and Wicks.
Of course, veteran Christian Watson's presence shouldn't be overlooked here. He remains a factor and figures to also benefit from the Packers' roster shake-up. However, Doubs and Wicks' departures were seemingly centered around unlocking Golden.
Folks in Green Bay aren't throwing in the towel on Golden quite yet, and understandably so. The front office went out of its way to shuffle the deck chairs to expand his role. Moreover, retired Packers receiver James Jones recently said the Texas standout is "going to be a superstar" during the team's annual Tailgate Tour.
A glance at Golden's inaugural campaign with Green Bay leaves much to be desired. He caught 29 of 44 targets for 361 scoreless yards (excluding playoffs). Nevertheless, the Packers are optimistic about what his combination of blazing speed and explosiveness could bring to their offense moving forward.
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