Green Bay Packers wide receiver Matthew Golden has more than doubled his production in half of the games from his rookie year to his second season. While the jump is quite impressive, head coach Matt LaFleur admitted that this is what the team expected when they drafted him.
“I mean, there’s a reason we drafted him in the first round,” admitted LaFleur when discussing the rise of the former 23rd overall pick. “Because we obviously like the skill set. I think it was a crowded room last year, and it was hard to kind of— I don’t want to say keep everybody happy, but, like, try to give everybody— you know, equal opportunities at the ball when you got a bunch of guys that you can throw the ball to.”
LaFleur is noting that Golden entered his rookie season as the number five wide receiver behind Dontayvion Wicks, Romeo Doubs, Jayden Reed, and Christian Watson.
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This year, things are different. Wicks is on the Philadelphia Eagles. Doubs is on the New England Patriots. Reed is on the IR. They planned for the other two to open targets for Golden. The third has made the passing game condensed.
“This year it’s been a little bit more centered, obviously, around Christian and MG,” said LaFleur on why Golden is getting more targets.
Last year, the team had six pass catchers with more than 40 targets and none with more than 85 targets. This year, Golden already has 92 targets and his teammate Watson has 74. Tucker Kraft is third with 54, and the next highest is MarShawn Lloyd with 17. He was a healthy inactive. They might finish the year with three targets getting 40 or more chances thrown their way.
LaFleur added that while he did not produce a lot as a rookie, he did show enough flashes that were worth buying into this offseason.
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Golden has 361 yards as a rookie and averaged 1.35 yards per route run. However, he had four catches for 84 yards and averaged 3.5 yards per route run in the Packers playoff loss.
“One of the things is that I thought- just the way he ended the year,” added LaFleur. “Although we didn’t end it well as a team. The way he ended the year and that playoff game in Chicago gave us a ton of confidence.”
Golden has 53 catches for 783 yards and five touchdowns this season. He is averaging 2.45 yards per route run with the Packers.
For as good as Golden has been, Watson has been right there with him. He has 49 catches for 879 yards. The Packers will continue to lean on these two all season. Golden will continue to build on his breakout season in Week 10 against the Vikings.
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