The Green Bay Packers are fresh off an encouraging 2023 campaign, and it's safe to say that they have their new quarterback of the future under center in Jordan Love. While they appear to have nailed that draft pick, the jury is still out on cornerback Eric Stokes, who has struggled quite a bit with injuries over the past two seasons.
Stokes was the Packers first-round pick in the 2021 NFL Draft, and after a decent rookie campaign, he's only managed to play in 12 total games over the past two seasons. It's been a tough road for the talented young cornerback, but he finally seems to be fully healthy heading into the 2024 campaign, and that was a sentiment that his head coach Matt LaFleur also seemed to agree with.
Eric Stokes hoping to be a consistent producer for the Packers in 2024
Stokes started 14 games as a rookie, and seemed like he had a bright future ahead of him. In 2022, though, Green Bay's defense struggled quite a bit, and Stokes was a part of the problem. His play declined, and his season came to an early end after he suffered a season-ending ankle injury in Week 9 against the Detroit Lions.
The 2023 campaign was even worse for Stokes, as he started the season on the physically unable to perform list, before being activated ahead of Week 7. Stokes only played four special teams snaps, though, before he picked up a hamstring injury that held him out until Week 14. Stokes would play in the next two games, but he would again wind up on the injured reserve after Week 15 for the rest of the year.
The talent and potential that Stokes' possesses is clear, but he's got to stay on the field in order to realize it. Thankfully, it sounds like he's attacked the offseason in an effort to ensure he can stay on the field in 2024, and that should be music to Packers fans' ears. LaFleur also agreed that he's noticed an uptick in positivity from Stokes after what's been a grueling two-year stretch for him.
In a perfect world, Stokes and Jaire Alexander will be Green Bay's starting cornerback duo for Green Bay come Week 1. The problem is that, just like Stokes, Alexander struggled with injuries in 2023. Both of these guys are big question marks for the upcoming season, and while there's hope they can help turn the Packers secondary into an elite unit, there are some real concerns surrounding them too.
There's still a lot of work to be done, but as of right now, it seems like Stokes is headed in the right direction. Keeping this momentum up throughout the rest of the offseason is going to be crucial, but it sounds like he may have solved his health woes. And if that ends up proving true, he could end up putting together a breakout campaign in 2024 with Green Bay.
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