5 Packers we can safely call busts after the 2023 season

5. Eric Stokes

It's not going to be easy for Packers GM Brian Gutekunst to admit defeat on this one, but I think it's time to formally declare former first-round pick Eric Stokes a bust.

Stokes is a good player when healthy, but the problem is, he can't stay on the field.

Stokes is entering his fourth NFL season in 2024, but he's only played a total of 12 games the last two years. The Packers have built their roster in such a way that they've been banking on the contributions of Stokes, but that's got to change in 2024.

For a first-round pick to only play 28 games in his first three seasons is something you can't just live with. The Packers are going to need to make other arrangements in 2024 and I would be shocked if Stokes is someone they continue to bank on going forward.

Like I said, Stokes is a good player when he's healthy. He allowed a completion rate of just 49.5 percent back in his rookie season in 2021 and a QB rating into his coverage of just 71.3. Those are silly numbers for a rookie, even when you're dealing with some growing pains on top of it (three touchdowns allowed).

The missed games the last two years are just tough pills to swallow. The Packers will have to make a decision on Stokes's fifth-year option in the next couple of months, and as of right now, there's just no way they can pick that up. The 2024 season will either be Stokes's last in Green Bay, or the Packers can trade him to a team that wants to take a risk on his talent.

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