The Green Bay Packers have been relatively lucky when it comes to injuries thus far in training camp. There have been some minor bumps and bruises picked up by players, but the only major injury was suffered by tight end Tyler Davis, who tore his ACL in the preseason opener against the Cincinnati Bengals.
The Packers will be keeping tabs on the tight end market between now and the regular season, as they could look to bring in a veteran to replace Davis. A special teams standout, Davis was set to have a larger role offensively as the team’s best blocking tight end to help replace the loss of Marcedes Lewis.
Other than that, Green Bay has had good injury luck, knock-on wood. Almost all of the players who started training camp on the PUP or NFI Lists have also gotten back on the field. Pass rusher Rashan Gary and rookie seventh-round pick Grant DuBose headline the activations from those lists.
However, there is one player who remains on the PUP list; cornerback Eric Stokes. Stokes is recovering from multiple lower body surgeries as his 2022 season was cut short after a Week 9 matchup against the Detroit Lions.
There was optimism that he would be able to get on the field during training camp, but the window is rapidly closing for that to happen. As the Packers begin their last week of training camp, Stokes is still not active.
Head coach Matt LaFleur didn’t provide much of an update when asked whether or not Stokes would start the regular season on the PUP list. “That’s out of my wheelhouse,” he said after practice on Monday.
Stokes, a 2021 first-round pick out of Georgia, is working his way back from knee and foot surgeries. If he is not ready to be activated off the PUP list before the regular season, he will have to miss at least the first four weeks of action.
The only consolation is that Stokes wouldn’t count toward the 53-man roster should he remain on the PUP list. That would make life a little easier for the Packers’ brain trust as the roster needs to be cut down by next Tuesday.
If the Packers have to open the season without him, it would be a significant blow. But, cornerback has been arguably the best unit for the team this offseason.
Rookie seventh-round pick Carrington Valentine has taken the team by storm all offseason and looks poised to step into Stokes’ spot in the lineup for however long the team needs. Jaire Alexander and Rasul Douglas are an excellent duo atop the depth chart as well.
