Where will the Packers play Eric Stokes when he's back?
Adding good players to a unit is never a problem. Or, as defensive coordinator Joe Barry said on Monday, is a "champagne problem", especially when it's already a room with a lot of talent. This is what will happen to the Green Bay Packers secondary when third-year cornerback Eric Stokes is able to get back […]
Adding good players to a unit is never a problem. Or, as defensive coordinator Joe Barry said on Monday, is a "champagne problem", especially when it's already a room with a lot of talent. This is what will happen to the Green Bay Packers secondary when third-year cornerback Eric Stokes is able to get back from knee and ankle injuries he suffered last year. A major step happened on Tuesday, when he was designated to return from PUP, which opens a 21-day window for him to practice. But there is one caveat, and two questions: where will he play, and who (if anyone) gets benched?
Stokes is primarily an outside cornerback, and his skill set is not ideal to play inside. During his rookie season, his best so far, he became CB1 after Jaire Alexander went down with a shoulder injury. Over that period, the Packers found Rasul Douglas on the Arizona Cardinals' practice squad, and he became CB2, with Chandon Sullivan in the slot.
Last season, with Alexander back and Sullivan gone, the Packers plan A was to move Rasul Douglas to the slot. That didn't work out whatsoever for the first half of the season, and Douglas never played at a high level inside. When Stokes got hurt, Rasul went back outside, and his performance was better again. The slot became an issue for the rest of the season: it was a mix of Keisean Nixon and Darnell Savage.
Nixon, by the way, has been the starter in the slot so far in 2023, with Jaire and Rasul on the boundaries. Savage moved back to be a full-time deep safety. With Stokes back, and when he's fully healthy, there isn't a clear path to move forward with. Theoretically, Stokes is more talented than Douglas, but the veteran has been one of the smartest and most important players of the unit, and a perfect fit for the zone-heavy defensive scheme. Barry hasn't shown any willingness to move him to safety either, even with coverage struggles from Savage and Rudy Ford.
The ideal scenario is when the Packers face an offense, like the Detroit Lions, in which the wide receiver one is a slot player. In this case, Jaire Alexander can follow him, opening up space for Stokes and Douglas to play outside. For the majority of the games, however, a lesser defensive player in Nixon should be kept in the slot, with Stokes and Douglas battling for the second starting job outside.
"I think our training staff has done a really nice job at ramping him up," head coach Matt LaFleur said on Monday. "It's different from playing 11-on-11, but he's played a lot of ball. We're looking forward to having him out there."
Now that Stokes has been taken off the PUP list, the Packers have the option to activate him immediately to play, or they wait up to three weeks. It seems like the Packers will soon have Stokes back, and it's clear how much the Packers trust him after taking the Georgia defensive back in the first round in 2021.
It will be an interesting battle, and one the Packers hope can elevate a shaky defense.
Packers activate Eric Stokes’ practice window
Now it’s all about getting cleared to play.
