In a somewhat encouraging rebound, the Green Bay Packers won last Sunday’s rematch with Joe Flacco, taking care of business and getting back in the win column.
The Cincinnati Bengals kicked off Green Bay’s cushy post-bye schedule, which gives them a chance to get right after a sloppy loss in Cleveland and an unfortunate tie with the Dallas Cowboys. They will be solid favorites in their next three, including a highly anticipated matchup between Jordan Love and his 41-year-old predecessor on Sunday Night Football. Then, the Philadelphia Eagles will come to town when the calendar flips to mid-November, kicking off a tougher stretch that includes contenders inside and outside of the division.
Still, getting back in the win column wasn’t the only positive takeaway from Sunday. Rookie receiver Matthew Golden finally got loose and began to put some cool stuff on tape. Packers fans have been anxious to see him put up the type of numbers that Emeka Egbuka has in Tampa Bay. However, Matt LaFleur is adamant that’s not how his offense is run, saying, “I know everybody wants us to force-feed guys the ball, but that’s not really how we’ve done it around here, and I don’t plan on changing that.”
That philosophy isn’t ideal in terms of his short-term upside. Still, it didn’t stop him from piling up over 100 scrimmage yards for the first time in his career, including two deep, crucial third-and-long conversions. His involvement should only increase moving forward.
On the other side of that coin, it appears, is Dontayvion Wicks. The former fifth-round pick out of Virginia has impressed with his route-running and after-the-catch ability in his two-plus seasons with the team. Following his rookie year, many in fantasy and betting circles projected him for a breakout, claiming he was the most skilled of the young Packers receivers.
That didn’t quite come to fruition because he struggled with drops in his sophomore season. His draft capital compared to Christian Watson, Jayden Reed, and Romeo Doubs – second-, second-, and fourth-round picks, respectively – has also seemed to give him a disadvantage on the depth chart. That only deepens after Green Bay used a first-rounder on Golden.
For a second consecutive season, Green Bay is dealing with attrition at the wide receiver position, leading to increased opportunities down the depth chart, including for Wicks. Reed is out with a broken collarbone, and Watson is still working his way back from a torn ACL.
Wicks played well over half the snaps in Weeks 2, 3, and 4, and was likely on pace to do the same in Week 5 before leaving with an ankle injury. However, the targets haven’t really been there for No. 13. What has been there are the trade rumors, which have circulated around the Green Bay receiving room for some time now. Doubs is the name most often floated, but he has played his way into possible extension talks with a stellar start to the year.
The Packers receivers have largely played nicely about their split duties and, in some cases, it’s been a point of pride in the room. Still, one has to wonder, as diva receivers rear their heads around the league, if and when that bubble might burst.
Wicks’ recent social media activity provides some possible insight. He’s not super active on X, as you can scroll only a couple of posts down to the thumbs down he publicly gave Josh Jacobs when the star running back lobbied for a “proven” WR1 to supercharge the offense.
With the offseason behind us, Golden appears to have been Brian Gutekunst’s answer to that call. Interestingly enough, in his first activity since May 15, Wicks reposted some lengthy thoughts about the Packers offense from Tazim Wajid Wajed, who, even more interestingly, is Christian Watson’s father.
Wajed’s post implied that changing the play-caller would be the only way for a wide receiver to break out in Green Bay, a subtle shot at LaFleur. He went on to say that when the Packers’ wideouts leave in free agency and “go to teams that actually throw the damn ball to them…THEY WILL GO CRAZY, especially if it’s Wicks!”
The overall point was that Golden’s opportunities don’t give him the chance to put up the type of numbers that fans and media have been expecting, and that the rookie is not to blame. It’s definitely an interesting critique of LaFleur’s run-first attack, and I have to imagine that Wicks’ endorsement of it bodes poorly for his future in Green Bay.
Green Bay’s wide receiver carousel isn’t exactly going to get clearer as the season goes on. Watson appears poised for a Week 8 return, while Reed is hoping to be back for the home stretch. Wicks is currently listed as questionable for Sunday’s game with that ankle, but it will be interesting to see what his role looks like for the rest of this season.