Green Bay Packers cornerback Eric Stokes. Carter Skaggs/The Enquirer / USA TODAY NETWORK

The Packers just got some hope for their struggling defense

By Andrew Kulha | Last updated 10/3/23

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.

Eric Stokes is back for the #Packers. https://t.co/hMU6MjpMj7 pic.twitter.com/9dNjVNJnw1
— Bill Huber (@BillHuberNFL) October 3, 2023

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.

Barry said he's eager for CB Eric Stokes to get back and when he does he'll incorporate him as fast as possible. "You can never have too many good corners," he said.
— Tom Silverstein (@TomSilverstein) October 2, 2023