The Packers just got some hope for their struggling defense
Cornerback Eric Stokes won't fix Green Bay's struggling run defense. That's something defensive coordinator Joe Barry will have to do, and frankly, it sounds like he's all out of answers
Getting Stokes back will be a big boon for Green Bay's defense, though. Anytime you can get back a first-round talent, that's going to be impactful.
Just when that will happen is still up in the air, of course. The good news is that Stokes is at least on the right track, though. It's being reported that Stokes has returned to practice in Green Bay. He missed training camp as well as the first four games of the regular season while on the PUP list.
It has been almost a year since Stokes has seen the field. He suffered a right knee and ankle injury in a mid-November loss to the Detroit Lions last season. The injuries were bad enough that he opted to have surgery, which shut him down the rest of 2022.
The Packers are on a mini bye of sorts this week after playing on "Thursday Night Football" in Week 4.
Their Week 5 matchup is against the Las Vegas Raiders on "Monday Night Football", which has effectively given the Packers 10 days of rest.
This could be an optimal time to get Stokes back in the rotation, and we know that Barry will use Stokes as soon as he's able.
As a rookie, Stokes flashed incredible speed and playmaking ability downfield en route to 55 tackles, 14 passes defended and one interception.
He was taken by the Packers with the 29th pick in the 2021 NFL Draft.
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