Injuries have heavily impacted Eric Stokes‘ NFL career so far. The Packers have witnessed their 2021 first-round pick miss 21 games in the last two seasons; the Lisfranc injury the cornerback suffered in 2022 is the primary cause of his availability issues.

After recovering from his foot injury, Stokes was plagued by hamstring issues for most of the previous season. Multiple hamstring setbacks delayed Stokes’s start to the season. The Packers had to place the three-year veteran on IR twice due to hamstring problems. Consequently, the team decided not to exercise the fifth-year option for the former No. 29 overall pick earlier this month.

In a contract year now, the injury-prone starter will strive to overcome his lingering injury issues and enhance his value before free agency or a potential extension with the Packers. Stokes, who underwent knee and foot surgeries following his midseason setback in 2022, attributes his subsequent health problems to the 2022 foot injury.

“It was dealing with everything from the foot injury that I had,” Stokes explained via the Green Bay Press-Gazette’s Ryan Wood. “It was bouncing back from that. It’s crazy how everything is connected in your body to where if one area is weak, the other parts of your body will try to take control, or put more workload on it. So that’s what pretty much was going on. My hamstring was taking on so much workload that it pretty much kept messing up.”

Stokes, known for his impressive 4.25-second 40-yard dash as a prospect in 2021, showcasing starter-level performance would undoubtedly benefit the Packers. Matt LaFleur mentioned that Stokes appears to be in his best form as a Packer. The team traded Rasul Douglas to the Bills last year and relied on former seventh-round pick Carrington Valentine alongside Jaire Alexander. Alexander also missed a significant portion of the previous season due to injury. Former Giants sixth-rounder Corey Ballentine ended up starting six games and both Day 3 picks are still on the Packers’ roster.

The Packers re-signed slot corner Keisean Nixon in March but did not make any noteworthy additions on the outside (apart from seventh-rounder Kalen King), leaving room for Stokes who started 23 games in his first two seasons. Stokes’s health is expected to be a crucial factor for the Packers, who have Alexander under the current top cornerback contract (four years, $84MM).

On the injury front in Green Bay, right tackle Zach Tom and tight end Tucker Kraft are recovering from pectoral tears. Both players are not participating in the team’s OTA sessions, but they could return for training camp.

Tom has a better chance of being ready, having sustained his injury in April. Kraft, on the other hand, suffered his pec injury less than three weeks ago, making him a likely candidate to start camp on the active/PUP list.
In an interesting twist of events related to pec injuries, LaFleur is also recovering from a pec tear he incurred while weightlifting, as reported by SI.com’s Bill Huber.

It might be optimistic for either player to be fully fit for camp. Tom stated that his surgery requires an eight- to 12-week recovery period. Having undergone the operation in late April, the third-year tackle hopes to return by at least mid-August. Tom showed promise last season, starting 19 games at right tackle and grading as Pro Football Focus’ No. 15 overall tackle.

The Packers transferred Stokes from the active/PUP list to the reserve/PUP list last year, sidelining him for at least four games. Tom has a clear path to retaining his RT position, despite the team’s acquisitions of Andre Dillard and first-round pick Jordan Morgan. Kraft served as a secondary option to Luke Musgrave during their rookie campaign.