Matthew Golden came into his second season with a clear directive from Green Bay Packers coach Matt LaFleur.
The receiver had the speed to create separation. LaFleur wanted to see more physicality once the ball arrived.
Three games in, the coach likes the response.
“He does a great job separating,” LaFleur said of Golden, according to The Leap’s Jason B. Hirschhorn’s account of his Friday remarks. “The thing that we challenged him on a year ago is making sure the physicality is there, both in the run and in the passing game. Fighting for extra yards. I think he’s done that.”
“He does a great job separating. The thing that we challenged him on a year ago is making sure the physicality is there, both in the run and in the passing game. Fighting for extra yards. I think he’s done that.”
Golden has 15 catches for 253 yards and a touchdown through three games. He caught 29 passes for 361 yards across 14 games as a rookie, meaning he has already reached more than halfway to both totals.
His production has risen alongside a trait LaFleur specifically asked him to develop.
Golden’s Growth Shows Up Beyond the Deep Ball
Golden’s speed made him an appealing first-round pick in 2025.
However, the difference between a promising receiver and a dependable one can be decided in tighter spaces, where a short catch must become a first down or a defender must be met instead of avoided.
LaFleur mentioned one such play after Green Bay’s Week 2 win over the New York Jets. Golden caught a pass near his own goal line, split two converging defenders and gained 8 yards to move the chains.
The coach said Golden had faced a similar situation in Week 1 and failed to split the defenders. Green Bay challenged him to handle it differently, and he did so the following week.
That sequence helps explain Friday’s praise.
Golden can stretch a defense, but LaFleur is seeing him make choices that keep drives moving. Through two games, he was averaging 6.6 yards after the catch per reception, according to NFL.com’s report using TruMedia data.
The same report said LaFleur named Golden Green Bay’s offensive player of the game against the Jets.
The numbers took another jump against the Atlanta Falcons. Golden caught five passes for a career-high 100 yards and scored his first regular-season NFL touchdown on a 15-yard pass from Jordan Love.
Packers Need Golden’s Strong Start to Continue
Golden’s larger role comes at a tricky point for Green Bay’s offense.
Jayden Reed will undergo season-ending neck surgery, leaving the Packers to redistribute work among their available receivers.
Christian Watson and Golden have furnished much of the early production. Watson has 284 receiving yards and four touchdowns, while Golden has 253 yards and one score, according to the team’s Friday report.
Golden prepared for a bigger job in the offseason. He worked on adding strength after injuries interrupted his rookie year, while LaFleur commended the effort he showed on plays when he was asked to block instead of catch a pass, Packers.com reported during training camp.
Friday’s comments propose the coach has seen that work transfer into games.
The upcoming bout appears Sunday against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Buccaneers coach Todd Bowles has singled out Golden and Watson for their speed and early play, so Golden is unlikely to catch Tampa Bay’s attention by surprise.
LaFleur’s challenge implores Golden to affect that matchup, even as explosive catches come.
The fight for the extra yards — and the work when the ball goes elsewhere — is what his coach will keep watching.
Packers’ Matthew Golden Has Answered Matt LaFleur’s Challenge