Eric Stokes believes injury issues are behind him after learning key is foot strength, other Packers takeaways
GREEN BAY – Eric Stokes’ trip to Badger Athletic Performance in Madison revealed the same strength disproportion teammate and Green Bay Packers receiver Christian Watson is working to fix this offseason.
For Stokes, the goal has been increasing the strength in his foot. Coming off a Lisfranc injury in 2022, the cornerback said his foot wasn’t strong enough to support the rest of his leg, putting too much stress on his hamstring. It led to a rash of hamstring injuries that derailed a 2023 season expected to be Stokes’ return to the field.
Instead, Stokes played only three games.
“It was dealing with everything from the foot injury that I had,” Stokes said. “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 said he focused on building leg strength all offseason, attacking his workouts. He feels not only stronger than a year ago, but faster. Not a small statement, considering the 2021 first-round draft pick ran a 4.25-second 40-yard dash before.
Packers coach Matt LaFleur said he’s noticed a difference, describing a rejuvenated Stokes.
“I think he’s as good as I’ve ever seen him,” LaFleur said. “Both mentally, and on the field. I want to temper the expectations with that, but I do really mean that. He’s out there competing each and every day. He looks fully healthy. He’s doing a great job of challenging our wide receivers. He’s always in great phase, and I think you see that personality is back. I mean, that’s tough on players when you’re going through an offseason, not really having an opportunity to build upon their bodies and you’re just focusing on rehabbing and getting healthy.
“He’s had a chance to really develop his body, and he looks in great shape. I think the play says the same.”
Matt LaFleur ‘would not be in favor’ of changes that would overhaul offseason schedule
LaFleur made clear he would not support a potential NFLPA proposal to fundamentally overhaul the league’s offseason schedule.
The players’ association is finalizing a proposal that would eliminate the voluntary on-field work in favor of starting training camp in mid-June to early July, according to an NFL Network report. The proposal could set 2025 as the potential date to change the offseason schedule.
“I would not be in favor of that,” LaFleur said.
The NFL’s current offseason program consists of three stages stretched over nine weeks. The final stage is organized team activities, where teams can conduct voluntary practice with one mandatory minicamp. The schedule then allows for a six-week break between minicamp and the start of training camp in late July.
The NFLPA’s proposal would eliminate the gap between minicamp and training camp, but also give players a longer break between the end of one season and start of the next. It would force teams to truncate their preparation, rather than laying it out in phases over the spring. The NFL had a similar schedule in 2020 when COVID-19 postponed any spring work.
LaFleur said he’d adjust his offseason regimen if the changes were implemented, but he’d prefer the current schedule remain in place.
“I go back to the COVID year,” LaFleur said. “I don’t think that was good for anybody. There’s not a lot of time to get with these guys anyway, and just to cram everything in at the beginning of training camp, I think it’s particularly bad for a lot of undrafted guys. Because you just don’t have the time to invest in the process and learn the playbook. So I just, I don’t think it would be good for the game personally.
“I don’t really think they care what I have to say.”
The NFL Network report indicated a majority of players supported the potential offseason proposal. Packers cornerback Jaire Alexander is not among them. For Alexander, the change would prolong an already long season, more than the current schedule in place.
“My thing is only that we’ll be going for about eight months at that point,” Alexander said. “That’s a long time to play football, especially with one bye week and three preseason games. I’m kind of liking how it is now.”
Josh Jacobs feels close to 100% after recovering from offseason hamstring injury
Josh Jacobs is hoping he’ll be fully recovered from a strained hamstring and taking part regularly as the starting running back in team drills next week.
Jacobs, signed in free agency to replace Aaron Jones, strained his hamstring during the conditioning portion of the Packers offseason program a few weeks ago. During Wednesday’s practice open to the media, he mostly ran on the side on his own, though he did take at least one snap in team drills.
Jacobs said that according to GPS tracking Wednesday, he hit 19.9 mph while running on his own. His max is 20.9 mph.
“I feel pretty good,” he said. “I could have probably been full go last week. But they’re just being smart with me, like, you don’t have anything to prove right now. I got up to 19.9 today, so I think I’m pretty good.”
Packers aware handful of veterans would be absence from this week’s voluntary OTA sessions
The Packers didn’t quite have the same remarkable attendance for this week’s organized team activities, but it’s clear they were unbothered by the absence of left guard Elgton Jenkins and defensive ends Rashan Gary and Preston Smith.
Asked about his reaction to the veterans skipping out on the voluntary sessions, LaFleur responded with fitting sarcasm.
“They were really pissed at me,” LaFleur said, “so they decided not to show up.”
More:Here’s an early look at a projected Green Bay Packers 2024 roster depth chart
In actuality, LaFleur said, there has been solid communication with veterans throughout the voluntary portion of the team’s offseason program. The Packers were aware Jenkins, Gary and Smith would not be at this week’s OTAs after each attended the previous week.
Defensive end Lukas Van Ness was present but did not participate because of a broken thumb. LaFleur described it as a minor issue that will not affect the fall.