Green Bay Packers cornerback Eric Stokes was lost for the remainder of the 2022 NFL season after he suffered a nasty foot injury in the Week Nine loss to the Detroit Lions. Stokes’ injury required surgery and he was unable to participate in any offseason activities.
While the Packers have not provided a specific targeted date for Stokes’ return to practice, Sports Illustrated‘s Bill Huber revealed a surprising yet exciting update on when Stokes could be ready to return.
Green Bay Packers Cornerback Eric Stokes Could Be Ready in a Couple of Weeks
According to Huber:
“Stokes’ recovery is right on track, the source said, and the Packers are taking a cautious approach with a talented player. If all goes well, he could make his training camp debut in a couple weeks.”
This would certainly change the personnel plan, especially if Stokes is able to return to his 2021 form. As a rookie, Stokes led the team with 14 pass deflections and allowed a quarterback rating of just 71.3 when targeted. He also allowed a miniscule 49.5% completion percentage.
Under the assumption that Stokes would not be ready to start the season, the coaching staff revealed that they would start Jaire Alexander and Rasul Douglas on the outside, and have Keisean Nixon play a lot of nickel.
If Stokes is healthy and back to form, it really opens up a great deal of possibilities for Green Bay. There has been talk of shifting Douglas to safety and having Stokes and Alexander start on the outside. Of course, it all depends on training camp and preseason games.
Stokes himself admitted, in Huber’s article, that he was not able to start walking on his foot until mid-January. While he may be healthy enough to return to practice and to the field, he may not be ready to get too many snaps for a few weeks into the season.
But it will be good to have him back, at least. The defense is better with him healthy.
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