Packers Activating Eric Stokes off PUP, Will Make Debut vs. Broncos
GREEN BAY, Wis. – The Green Bay Packers are activating cornerback Eric Stokes off the physically unable to perform list for Sunday’s game at the Denver Broncos.
Saturday’s decision comes almost a year after Stokes suffered a foot injury at the Detroit Lions that required season-ending surgery.
With a couple weeks of practice under his belt, Stokes says he’s ready.
“Physically, yeah, mentally, yeah. Everything is there,” Stokes said on Friday. “It’s just the point of I’ve just got to get there. It’s just the point of me being 100 percent sure with everything that’s going on. It’s being smart, being safe because it’s a long season. I think we still got like 11, 12 games after this, so it’s still a long season ahead.”
To make room on the roster, the Packers released outside linebacker Justin Hollins for the second time in as many weeks.
The timing couldn’t be better for the Packers, with All-Pro cornerback Jaire Alexander questionable after a back injury flared up this week.
A healthy Packers secondary wouldn’t have much room for Stokes given how well the trio of Alexander, Rasul Douglas and Keisean Nixon have played. However, if Alexander can’t play or is limited, Stokes will have a ticket to at least get some action in his first game since Nov. 6.
“That’s usually something that works itself out,” coach Matt LaFleur said this week of getting Stokes on the field. “But, certainly, can never have enough great corners. We’ll acclimate him back in there, I would say, carefully. It’s not going to be like you go from not playing for over a year to you’re playing every snap in a game. So, we’ll have a plan for that. We do have a plan for that.”
Stokes had an All-Rookie-caliber season as the team’s first-round pick in 2021. Of 91 cornerbacks who played at least 50 percent of the passing-game snaps, Stokes ranked fourth in completion percentage (51.0) and 23rd in passer rating (78.8), according to Pro Football Focus.
Eric Stokes
Photo by Samantha Madar/USA Today Sports Images
In nine games in 2022, Stokes allowed 21-of-25 completions (84.0 percent) with a 125.8 passer rating. Of all corners with at least 250 defensive snaps, that catch rate was the worst in the league. Unbelievably, he went from a team-high 14 passes defensed in 2021 to zero in 2022.
His second season went from bad to worse after he suffered knee and foot injuries at Detroit on Nov. 6.
Now, if only little by little, the incredibly athletic and talented Stokes will have an opportunity to get his career back on track.
“Man, it’s a relief honestly,” Stokes said. “11 1/2 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 percent, it don’t matter. Because I’ve been 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.”
Having gone about 50 weeks without playing, it’s not as if Stokes is going to be ready for 60 snaps against the Broncos, especially in the thin mountain air of Denver. But, if Alexander can’t play, he figures to be an option along with rookie Carrington Valentine.
“I mean, the competitor side is always going to say, ‘Heck, yeah,’ but the smart, business, the person, nah, I can’t play 60, 70 snaps like I’d love to play,” he said. “It’s going to be like a little rep count even if I do play.”
When Stokes started running again, that was a milestone in his comeback. When he returned to practice a couple weeks ago, that was a milestone. Now, he needs to play and cover and tackle.
Whatever his role at Denver, whether it’s defense or special teams, the always-smiling Stokes will be one of the happiest people in the stadium.
“Once that thing is taken away from you, you start realizing practice, you start realizing walk-throughs, you start realizing little things you took for granted and you’re like, ‘Man, I can’t wait til I come (back) … My first day doing indy, I couldn’t wait to be around Sul and Key and all them just to laugh, just to joke around.
“It’s like little, small things you just look past on the daily that you’re just like, I actually miss doing all them little stuff. 110 percent, this thing done showed me I love it even more.”
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