Packers Secondary Has Reinforcements Coming vs. Broncos in Week 7

After opening the season on the physically unable-to-perform list, Green Bay Packers cornerback Eric Stokes is officially back in the lineup.

The 24-year-old was activated on Saturday, October 21, the team announced. Stokes returns to the 53-man roster and takes the place of outside linebacker Justin Hollins, who was released as a corresponding move.

Stokes, a former first-round pick, returned to practice on Wednesday, October 3. The Packers were then provided with a 21-day window in which they had to determine whether or not to upgrade him to the active roster or allow him to revert to injured reserve for the remainder of the season.

Now that he’s healthy and back at the Packers’ disposal just in time for Sunday’s bout with the Denver Broncos, he’s in line for his first defensive snaps in 350 days.

Season-Ending Injuries Derailed Stokes’ Brutal 2022

After a promising rookie season in 2021, Stokes’ sophomore campaign not only marked a significant step back, but it ended rather prematurely following a pair of significant injuries.

Stokes suffered a Lisfranc injury in his foot and a torn meniscus in his knee in a November 6 clash with the Detroit Lions — the same afternoon that the team lost star pass rusher Rashan Gary to a torn anterior cruciate ligament. Stokes was placed on season-ending injured reserve after just nine games.

In those nine games, though, Stokes was targeted 25 times and allowed 21 receptions, one touchdown and a 125.8 passer rating, according to Pro Football Focus. He didn’t register a single pass break-up after accumulating 14 in as many starts the year prior.

He had essentially deteriorated into a liability in the secondary, but it’s far too early to label the former Georgia Bulldog as anything other than a work in progress. He’s shown flashes and he’s displayed the capability of playing at the next level, there’s just no telling how he’ll rebound from such catastrophic injuries.

He’s practiced consistently throughout the last two weeks and, with two days remaining in the aforementioned window, he’ll have the opportunity to kickstart that rebound as soon as Sunday.

“Man, it’s a relief honestly,” said Stokes, according to Sports Illustrated’s Bill Huber. “11-and-a-half months, dang near 12, dang near a year of just being out there. I don’t take that for granted. A rep, any little thing; I’m out there, I’m going 110%, it doesn’t matter. Because I’ve been on the sideline, been in a wheelchair, been on crutches. I’ve been through so much stuff, it’s been a rollercoaster ride. So any little moment I’m out there, I’m not taking that for granted.”

The hope — perhaps even the expectation — was that Stokes would be ready for the start of the regular season, however, a hamstring injury halted his progress this past summer. The team opted to place him on the physically unable-to-perform list, keeping him shelved for the first four games at the least.

Eventually, Packers Will Have to Find a Place for Stokes

It’s possible — albeit not likely — that the Packers may need to lean on Stokes a little more than they originally intended to on Sunday.

The conservative nature of the team’s medical staff presumably won’t allow that to happen, even if Jaire Alexander is still nursing a back injury since popping up on the practice report with it on Friday, September 22. He missed the two ensuing games — versus the New Orleans Saints and Lions — before returning for the Monday night game against Davante Adams and the Las Vegas Raiders.

Even after the bye week, Alexander’s back injury flared up. He was removed from the practice report entirely at one point this past week before being re-added on Friday. He’s one of nine players listed as questionable to play against the Broncos. The Packers will more than likely err on the side of caution and play rookie seventh-round pick Carrington Valentine in an expanded role rather than risk Stokes’ health.

With a fully healthy secondary — hypothetically speaking, of course — it’s unclear just where Stokes would fit other than serving as an extra cornerback in dime packages. It’s not a matter that the Packers will have to concern themselves with in the near future as they ease Stokes back into action on a pitch count.

Alexander and Rasul Douglas have formed one of the league’s best duos when available together this season and Keisean Nixon has performed admirably as their primary nickelback. For the first half of last season, Douglas was in the slot with Stokes and Alexander on the boundary.

Nothing is broken with the current alignment, so there’s no need to try and fix it — and that’s a good problem to have. After securing nine interceptions over the past two seasons, Douglas has quietly excelled this year. He has one interception and six break-ups through five games — he had 13 through 17 games last year — while allowing a passer rating of 89.1.