The Green Bay Packers are hoping that the 2023 season is less injury-riddled than their 2022 season was. 2022 saw a number of key players miss significant time throughout the season. Some of the more notable names included David Bakhtiari, Rashan Gary, Christian Watson, Romeo Doubs, and Eric Stokes. Going into the 2023 season, the Packers are optimistic to get all their players back on the field. This week, LaFleur gave an immense update regarding one of their defensive staters.
Matt LaFleur Gives Great Injury Updates Regarding Cornerback Eric Stokes
It was recently reported by Eric Winter:
The Green Bay Packers really need the defensive momentum from the back half of the 2022 season to carry into 2023 and promising cornerback Eric Stokes’ health will have a lot of say in whether or not that happens.
Stokes injured his ankle in Week 9 and is currently recovering from the injury. On Wednesday, Packers head coach Matt LaFleur gave an update on Stokes that is going to make every Cheesehead smile.
“He’s done a great job. I think he’s made a lot of strides in his rehab,” LaFleur told reporters. “He’s been running around, so hopefully, maybe he’ll get in there for some individual [drills]. I don’t foresee him in any team situations through the course of OTAs and into [mandatory] minicamp.”
he fact Stokes is on the verge of participating in drills is big
LaFleur’s comment puts Stokes on track recovery-wise, meaning, he should be ready to participate in training camp.
Stokes injured his ankle on November 6 and training camp doesn’t start until the end of July.
So, by the time camp starts, it’ll be nearly nine months since Stokes’ injury, which is very ideal. The Packers are still very likely to ease Stokes into action and that’s understandable. But, as long as he stays on track, he should be ready to go by Week 1.
That would be a big development for the Packers. You can never have too many cornerbacks on an NFL roster and Stokes displayed a ton of promise during his rookie year. Jaire Alexander and Rasul Douglas are projected to start on the outside, but Stokes could easily step in and provide quality snaps if one were to go down for an extended period of time.
If the Green Bay Packers are able to get back Stokes, healthy, for the start of the 2023 season, it could make a big difference for their defense. The secondary is a major question-mark going into the 2023 season for the Packers. While the cornerback position seems solid, the safety position is up in the air. Stokes coming back could allow the Packers to play Rasul Douglas more at safety, a move that has been widely talked about over the last few seasons.
Exciting updates on the Packers’ injury front! Learn more about the promising recovery of key players in our Packers News section. Don’t miss out on the latest developments!
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Frequently Asked Question’s
Will Eric Stokes play in 2023?
Earlier this week, Matt LaFleur, the head coach of the Green Bay Packers, suggested that Eric Stokes might not be able to play in the opening week of the 2023 NFL season. Stokes sustained a significant injury during Week 9 of 2022 season and was unable to continue the rest of the campaign.
What is Eric Stokes salary?
Eric Stokes, chosen by the Green Bay Packers as the 29th overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft, inked a four-year rookie contract of $11.93 million. It includes a signing bonus of $6.03 million, $10,122,419 guaranteed, and an average annual salary of $2,981,381.