Packer Central

Just In Time, Packers’ Eric Stokes Shows Flashes of First-Round Form

After two horrendous seasons due in part to foot and hamstring injuries, the coverage numbers from Eric Stokes are rather incredible. Now, he’s got to take the next step.

Bill Huber

Green Bay Packers cornerback Eric Stokes (21) prevents a completion to Los Angeles Rams wide receiver Jordan Whittington.
Green Bay Packers cornerback Eric Stokes (21) prevents a completion to Los Angeles Rams wide receiver Jordan Whittington. / Robert Hanashiro-Imagn Images
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GREEN BAY, Wis. – Since the Green Bay Packers came back from their Week 10 bye, a total of 75 cornerbacks have played at least 150 coverage snaps over the past seven weeks.

One of them, according to Pro Football Focus, is:

- First in receptions allowed.

- First in yards allowed.

- First in yards allowed per coverage snap.

- Second in coverage snaps per completion allowed.

- Third in completion percentage allowed.

That player is Eric Stokes.

Yes, Eric Stokes.

The 2021 first-round pick, who looked like a potential star after an excellent rookie season and then a bust after two difficult seasons, appears to be rising to the occasion at just the right time.

“And we’re going to need him down this stretch,” defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley said on Thursday.

After the Packers wrap up the regular season on Sunday against the Chicago Bears, their full attention will turn to the playoffs. A gauntlet of top quarterbacks and receivers await.

Jaire Alexander will not be there to help, with the former All-Pro cornerback having knee surgery to address an injury sustained at Jacksonville on Oct. 27.

If the Packers are going to avoid a one-and-done postseason, Stokes is going to need to continue his strong play.

“I think he’s gotten better,” Hafley said. “He’s competing in the run game, he’s been physical. I thought he challenged those good wide receivers in that last game. I think the more reps he gets, he’s getting more comfortable and he’s getting back into it.”

Stokes’ career arc has been crazy.

As a rookie, 106 cornerbacks played at least 250 coverage snaps, according to PFF. Stokes finished fifth in the NFL in catch percentage allowed (51.0) and third in forced-incompletion percentage.

In 2022, however, 104 corners played at least 250 coverage snaps. Stokes finished last in completion percentage allowed (84.0), and his season was cut short by a foot injury that required surgery.

In 2023, foot and hamstring injuries meant as many stints on injured lists (three) as games played. He started twice and allowed an 80.0 percent catch rate and three touchdowns.

With the injuries behind him, Stokes won the starting job in training camp but couldn’t keep it. He went from 67 snaps in Week 1 against Philadelphia to eight snaps against Houston and four snaps in the first game against Chicago.

Even now, he’s a part-time player. Other than playing all 59 snaps against Seattle a few weeks ago, he’s been hovering in the general vicinity of 50 percent the past six weeks.

“I think he’s getting a lot more comfortable,” cornerback Keisean Nixon said. “It’s hard to play corner (when) you’re not healthy, especially outside corner. He just getting healthy, just getting his body right and I think his mental’s right.

“His confidence is through the roof now, and that’s all you can ask for in this league is to get reps, it’s the only way you can get good. I tell him all the time just get reps. The more reps you get, the better you playing.”

Stokes took his lumps at times earlier this season. According to PFF, though, he hasn’t allowed more than 10 receiving yards in any game since the bye.

“At the end of the day, shoot, they get paid, too,” Stokes said of the challenges of playing cornerback. “That’s one of the things that I always take away from OG. Coach (Jerry) Gray, he used to always say, ‘Never get down on yourself. At the end of the day, they get paid millions of dollars, too.’

“Of course, they’re going to make a play or you might have a bad day, you might get beat. You’ve just got to live with it, move on, learn from it, and just don’t hold your head on it because, at the end of the day, you’ve still got next week to redeem yourself.”

This hasn’t been a redemption season for Stokes. Not yet, anyway.

That will require making some big plays on the ball, starting with Sunday’s game against the Bears and the potential wild-card game against Jalen Hurts, A.J. Brown and the high-powered Philadelphia Eagles.

“I think it’s just overall consistency, whether it’s in man or zone,” Hafley said of the next step for Stokes. “It’s going out there every single rep and competing. The guy hadn’t been targeted a whole lot, either. I think in his opportunities as of late, he’s playing pretty good football and I think the more he plays, the more consistent it will get. But we’re going to need him in this stretch right now.”

Incredibly, Stokes is still looking for his first pass breakup since his rookie season. It’s an astounding feat: In 714 coverage snaps the last three years, he has zero pass breakups.

Stokes has started 18 games during that time. The next-fewest pass breakups over that span with at least that many starts is Mike Hughes with seven.

Stokes knows the next step is making a big play.

“For sure. For sure,” he said. “I know once that big play comes, everything else will start rolling. Everything else will start rolling. And it’s going to be a trickle effect. We’re all finally going to hit in the playoff and everything else will get rolling.”

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Bill Huber
BILL HUBER

Bill Huber, who has covered the Green Bay Packers since 2008, is the publisher of Packers On SI, a Sports Illustrated channel. E-mail: packwriter2002@yahoo.com History: Huber took over Packer Central in August 2019. Twitter: https://twitter.com/BillHuberNFL Background: Huber graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater, where he played on the football team, in 1995. He worked in newspapers in Reedsburg, Wisconsin Dells and Shawano before working at The Green Bay News-Chronicle and Green Bay Press-Gazette from 1998 through 2008. With The News-Chronicle, he won several awards for his commentaries and page design. In 2008, he took over as editor of Packer Report Magazine, which was founded by Hall of Fame linebacker Ray Nitschke, and PackerReport.com. In 2019, he took over the new Sports Illustrated site Packer Central, which he has grown into one of the largest sites in the Sports Illustrated Media Group.