Week 6 benching pretty much seals Eric Stokes' fate with Packers

The cornerback position has been a topic of discussion for the Green Bay Packers all throughout 2024. The Packers knew that this would be a position they needed to address in the 2024 offseason, but they mostly addressed it by keeping around their own guys, including former first-round pick Eric Stokes.

The unfortunate thing for Stokes this offseason was that the Packers kept him around but declined his fifth-year rookie contract option, putting him in a contract year after playing in just 12 games from 2022-23.

Now, it appears as though Stokes's fate with the Packers beyond this season is sealed. The Packers benched the former first-rounder in favor of Keisean Nixon, getting into an alignment defensively which includes Javon Bullard playing in the slot and fellow rookie Evan Williams playing at the safety position.

Williams has been so good that the Packers can't keep him off the field, and Stokes hasn't been good enough to be one of the top five defensive backs on this roster.

Eric Stokes is not likely to be with Packers beyond 2024

While there is justified over the excitement over some of the youth in Green Bay's secondary, there's also definitely some disappointment when it comes to a player like Stokes. He showed some real promise as a rookie in Green Bay and the unfortunate reality for him is that injuries have just taken their toll.

In six games (five starts) this season, Stokes has been targeted 29 times in coverage and has allowed 21 completions (over 72 percent completion rate) and has been credited with allowing a pair of touchdowns. Unfortunately, he doesn't have any passes defensed or interceptions to go along with that, and allowing a quarterback rating north of 122 into his coverage got him benched in favor of Nixon, who was previously playing in the slot.

Nixon has been playing well again this season with three passes broken up, three QB hits, a pair of sacks, four tackles for loss, and only one touchdown allowed on 23 targets into his coverage.

This doesn't exactly solve the Packers' long-term question marks at the cornerback position, but benching Stokes undoubtedly gives us some clarity -- the Packers will likely be moving on barring some kind of breakthrough at some point this season. And with the NFL trade deadline coming up, we might even see the Packers send Stokes off to the highest bidder in a trade.

Keep in mind that Green Bay traded away Rasul Douglas last year to the Buffalo Bills, and if the price is right, they might be willing to part ways with a former first-round pick this year. One way or another, Stokes's time in Green Bay might soon be coming to an end.

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