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Packers Mailbag: Expectations for Matthew Golden, Receiver Battles and More

Who could lose their job at cornerback and on the offensive line? What about Jordan Morgan, Trey Smack and some backup battles? You had questions; we had answers.  
Bill Huber|
Green Bay Packers receiver Matthew Golden runs the ball after the catch against the Cardinals.
Green Bay Packers receiver Matthew Golden runs the ball after the catch against the Cardinals. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

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There are 23 days until the start of Green Bay Packers training camp. That’s when we’ll get some real answers to your questions but, for now, here are my thoughts on what’s on your mind.

Will Bo Melton finally be shown the door? He’s not a CB and have 4 locks at WR. Sky Moore as a 5th WR/KR & should keep the Florida UDFA WR as a 6th. Can find others who have promise & play them on ST.

Someone’s going to have to beat him out. I don’t mean that to be a Capt. Obvious response. Melton’s made some plays in his career. He had the 100-yard game at Minnesota in 2023 and the long touchdown catch against Chicago last season. With his work at gunner, he was a reason why Daniel Whelan had an All-Pro-caliber season.

I’m with you in that Savion Williams is a lock for No. 4 and Skyy Moore will be No. 5 unless he muffs kicks all summer. That makes No. 6 Melton’s job to lose.

I like Isaiah Neyor and J. Michael Sturdivant as much as anyone, having spoken to and written extensively about both. Neyor and Sturdivant aren’t as fast as Melton, but they have an elite combination of size and speed. But what have they done? They didn’t do enough in college to get drafted.

My guess is Melton will win the job because of special teams. New coordinator Cam Achord deserves every chance to build a winning unit.

Let’s stick with the receivers for our next question.

What do we want to see from our star-in-the-making Matthew Golden during camp and how do you think the Packers could better use him this season to ensure he’s more involved?

I’ll start with the second part, with the obvious that general manager Brian Gutekunst took care of that by letting go of Romeo Doubs in free agency and trading Dontayvion Wicks.

Along with the veteran-laden depth chart last year, Golden battled injuries that sidelined him for a few games and limited him in others. There were practices when he ran routes and pretended to catch the ball because of an injured wrist.

OK, onto the first part. I don’t know that anything more needs to be seen that wasn’t seen last year. Golden was impressive during training camp last year. He got open routinely and caught the ball cleanly. It was the same thing during the practices last month.

He wasn’t necessarily used as a deep threat but the speed, I think, helped create space for him to get open. Last year at this time, I thought Golden was going to be really good. That opinion has not changed, especially now that Golden has a year of seasoning.

Will Morgan have any competition in camp?

The coaches will regurgitate something along the lines that there’s competition at every position. That’s nonsense. The Packers drafted Jordan Morgan in the first round to be the starting left tackle. He will be the starting left tackle.

Besides, who else do they have? Zach Tom would probably be good but right tackle is such an important position – they face as many stud pass rushers as left tackles – that there’s no upside in moving him. Anthony Belton is probably the next option, but he’s played as many left tackle snaps in the regular season as you and I.

Bill...the last time I came up for camp was 2010. I got interviewed by WBAY, stating the only acceptable outcome for the Packers is the Super Bowl. Well, that worked out. And I haven’t been up since. Do I need to make the pilgrimage back?

Yes, you absolutely should. If your arrival to training camp made a trip to the Super Bowl a stone-cold lock, you could probably get your pilgrimage funded in about 2 seconds on GoFundMe.

If Havrisik kicks better than Smack what happens, and vice versa. Can they afford to have a kicker on the practice squad all year again?

In baseball, the tie goes to the runner. In the kicking competition, anything close to a tie will go to Smack. The Packers ate Brandon McManus’ $1 million roster bonus and gave up two draft picks to draft Smack. That’s not nothing.

If the Packers were convinced enough in Smack’s ability to draft him in the sixth round, he’ll get some leash.

For the second part of your question, the answer is heck, yes. In 2014, practice squads moved from eight players to 10. During COVID, practice squads expanded to 16 players, then stayed that way after the pandemic. Including the international player, the practice squad is up to 17 players.

There’s plenty of space for a kicker on the practice squad, especially if you don’t trust the kicker on the roster.

Speaking of the practice squad …

Who do you think ends up as practice squad QB? I’m thinking McCord.

I’m thinking Kyron Drones will beat out Kyle McCord. The Packers fell in love with Malik Willis’ skill-set. They see the same tools in Drones. He’ll have to earn his way, obviously, but Drones’ athletic ability and arm strength are appealing.

Is it accurate to say the Packers core pass catching group has suffered more severe, structural lower body injuries than their division rivals (structural knee blowouts and bone fractures)? If so, do Packers alter their reps and which of the remaining have a chance to shine?

I’d have to do some digging into other receiver depth charts, but last week’s storm has kept me tied to a chainsaw for the last week. I assume you’re talking about Christian Watson’s torn ACL and Jayden Reed’s broken collarbone. ACL injuries are relatively frequent and Reed landed hard. 

To me – and this might be dangerous thinking if I was a team physician – that’s just football. Players in the best physical condition of their lives get hurt. It happens. I’d be more worried about strains.

I’d alter the reps if only to do everything humanly possible to get Savion Williams ready and to figure out who else can contribute. Williams is going to play a critically important role at some point this season. They’ll need him to be more than just someone to get the ball to on screens and end-arounds.

If a blown playoff lead to your biggest rival gets you extended, what will it take for the Packers to move on from MLF? I’m terrified to find out.

I have no idea. I wrote what I wrote the day after the game. I think you know where I stand.

It wouldn’t be ideal for the Packers to have to eat what’s left of Matt LaFleur’s contract, but there’d be no impact on the salary cap, the franchise has enough money and a new coach would re-ignite the not-insignificant portion of the fanbase that’s fallen into a pretty obvious malaise about the state of things in Titletown.

Thoughts on RB2 and TE2 competitions? Assuming health for everyone.

At running back, I’m drinking the Kool-Aid (actually, the Gatorade Zero was the choice while on chainsaw duty this weekend) on MarShawn Lloyd. He got through the offseason healthy, and I think he’ll be a real factor this season.

At tight end, only an idiot puts much stock in the offseason practices, where Josh Whyle made more plays than Luke Musgrave. So, naturally, I’m going to take Whyle.

From a DM, Bosco asked two questions.

1) Who out of the 4 “starting” lineman (not Tom obviously besides injury) have the biggest chance of losing their starting job.

2) With safeties and NB secured spots, do we see CBs open competition with everyone or Nixon and Valentine’s jobs to lose?

One, I’d say Belton – and even that’s a long shot. The Packers are paying Aaron Banks to start at left guard and Sean Rhyan to start at center. They’d have to be terrible to not start; neither player is terrible. Jordan Morgan was drafted for this moment. I don’t know if he’ll be great, but I think he’ll be good enough.

Belton struggled last season in his half-season at right guard. He should be better for the experience, though, and put together enough good snaps to project him taking a big step forward.

Two, Nixon is going to start. I know he’s a flawed player, but he’s got some strengths, too. He’s gotten better at every step of his path, so I’d expect him to get at least a little better.

Valentine’s spot, on the other hand, will be where there’s competition. The Packers benched him in favor of Kamal Hadden during the Baltimore game, only for Hadden to get hurt and Valentine to get back on the field. He’s pretty good in coverage but can’t tackle.

Benjamin St-Juste was really good in limited action last year. He missed the offseason practices with an undisclosed injury but will be in the mix alongside, obviously, second-round pick Brandon Cisse.

And finally …

Can you get my kid on the sidelines with you for one practice? Heck you said fire away and ask.

Trust me, you don’t want to be on the sideline. There are so many people on the sideline that you’ve got to bob and weave at times to find an opening to see the action. Plus, the sun beats on the rubber track where we stand, so we cook. It’s much better in the bleachers, so long as the action is in front of you. The ability to move where the action is, and the ability to show up for the start of practice and not arrive an hour early to get a spot, is the big upside for reporters.  

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Bill Huber
BILL HUBER

Bill Huber, who has covered the Green Bay Packers since 2008, is the publisher of Packers On SI, a Sports Illustrated channel. E-mail: packwriter2002@yahoo.com History: Huber took over Packer Central in August 2019. Twitter: https://twitter.com/BillHuberNFL Background: Huber graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater, where he played on the football team, in 1995. He worked in newspapers in Reedsburg, Wisconsin Dells and Shawano before working at The Green Bay News-Chronicle and Green Bay Press-Gazette from 1998 through 2008. With The News-Chronicle, he won several awards for his commentaries and page design. In 2008, he took over as editor of Packer Report Magazine, which was founded by Hall of Fame linebacker Ray Nitschke, and PackerReport.com. In 2019, he took over the new Sports Illustrated site Packer Central, which he has grown into one of the largest sites in the Sports Illustrated Media Group.