The Green Bay Packers revamped their wide receiver room this offseason, using significant draft capital to upgrade their pass-catching corps. They have invested in first-round pick Matthew Golden with the hopes that he would turn into a WR1 for this team that has lacked a true go-to wide receiver in recent years.
Over the last two weeks, Golden has started to break out and show flashes of his elite WR potential. Just when he has turned a corner, though, the Packers are making a mistake with him on special teams.
Packers Need to Start Treating Matthew Golden Like Future WR1
Special teams coordinator Rich Bisaccia has been under fire since the start of the week. The blocked field goals aside, the special teams unit is not helping the offense or defense, ranking as the second-worst unit in the league with a 52.2 grade, per Pro Football Focus.
One of the criticisms of Bisaccia is the heavy usage of key veterans on special teams, putting them at increased risk of injury. This is especially a problem for return men on kickoffs and punts. Golden and Romeo Doubs have been relied upon for punt returns all season, and putting your best receivers at risk is generally not the best idea.
On Thursday, Bisaccia revealed that Golden will continue to be in the mix for punt returns, per USA Today's Ryan Wood. Against the Bengals, it was Doubs who served as the punt returner, and some thought that Golden was pulled from those duties due to his lack of production on that front, with 28 yards on six returns for the season. It turns out, however, Bisaccia just wanted to give Golden a rest "after explosive plays".
Since the Packers have been so ineffective in the return game already, it's clear that using their best players as their returners isn't working. Having Doubs and Golden in that role does nothing except put them at serious risk of injury. When there are players like Bo Melton, Emanuel Wilson, and Savion Williams who could take on a larger role in that spot, not utilizing them seems like a big mistake by Bisaccia and Matt LaFleur.
Golden is the future WR1 for this franchise. He should be treated like one. He needs as many reps and targets as he can handle as his role slowly grows. That means being a focal point of the offense rather than a return specialist.