The Green Bay Packers won’t see their veterans report to training camp until next week, but they’ve already gotten a head start by placing a few players on the physically unable to perform (PUP) list. What health concerns will the Packers be monitoring in advance of the regular season?
Green Bay Packers Injury Update
Rashan Gary, EDGE
On Friday, the Packers officially placed Rashan Gary on the PUP list as he recovers from the ACL injury that ended his 2022 campaign. Gary can come off the list at any time, but if he’s still unavailable by the time the regular season arrives, he’ll be required to miss at least the first four games of the year.
“I’ll be ready when I’m ready,” Gary said in June. The former first-round pick posted 9.5 sacks in 2021 and six in 2022 (nine games) before going down. Scheduled to play on his fifth-year option in 2023, Gary could receive a contract extension — but the Packers may want to see how he fares in game action first.
“We all see the intensity at which he plays,” head coach Matt LaFleur said. “He is a game-wrecker, a guy that can significantly impact whether you’re winning or losing. But I just love his approach, his work ethic.”
Green Bay is counting on Gary to reemerge as a wrecking force in their defense. In 2021, he finished third among NFL edge rushers with 87 pressures, trailing only Maxx Crosby and Nick Bosa. The Packers hope that he’ll be able to return to that level of play without his knee giving him too much trouble.
If Gary is forced to miss time, Green Bay will need to find someone — or several someones — to play opposite Preston Smith on the edge. Justin Hollins and Kingsley Enagbare worked ahead of first-round rookie Lukas Van Ness and could see starting time early in the season. But Van Ness could take on more of a role as the year progresses.
Eric Stokes, CB
Gary wasn’t the only player the Packers sent to the PUP list on Friday. Cornerback Eric Stokes also remains sidelined as he works his way back from offseason knee and foot surgeries.
Stokes appeared in nine games last season before being placed on injured reserve. The former first-rounder suffered a Lisfranc injury during the 2022 campaign that required the insertion of a plate. He also required an operation to repair his meniscus.
“From the start, it was tough, especially rolling around in a wheelchair,” Stokes said earlier this year. “That was pretty much low. Since then, I got back up, got back moving, just started taking it pretty much brick by brick, day by day. It is what it is. Stuff happens. You’ve just got to adjust to it.”
Stokes couldn’t walk without crutches until mid-January, but as of May, had resumed running. Still, the Packers have exercised a methodic approach with Stokes. He didn’t participate in the club’s OTAs and will be held out of training camp until Green Bay deems him ready.
Stokes could be without a starting job whenever he returns to the field. Keisean Nixon was excellent as the Packers’ slot corner in 2022 and appears ready to hold down the nickel next season. With Rasul Douglas joining Jaire Alexander as a full-time outside corner, Stokes might be looking at a bench role, at least to start the season.
David Bakhtiari, OT
Injuries have come to define the latter portion of Packers left tackle David Bakhtiari’s career, as he hasn’t completed a full season since 2019. The 31-year-old’s 2020 ACL tear led to him missing significant time and multiple surgeries.
Bakhtiari’s knee kept him off the field for the first two games of the 2022 season, while an emergency appendectomy cost him time at the end of the year. The Packers also managed Bakhtiari’s workloads in several games, as he recorded a sub-60% snap rate in three contests.
But Bakhtiari is feeling healthy heading into camp, as evidenced by his comments in June.
“I feel really good,” Bakhtiari said. “Obviously, I don’t want to jinx it or oversell anything. But I think it will show up in how much I play … was just giving it everything I could to make it work for last year. It wasn’t ideal, but sometimes you’re not dealt the best hand. Now I’d say from a strength standpoint, I feel very strong.”
If Bakhtiari goes down again, the Packers have several players capable of playing left tackle, including Yosh Nijman, Zach Tom, and Elgton Jenkins. But Bakhtiari remains one of the best blindside blockers in the game, and Green Bay will want him on the field as they turn the offense over to Jordan Love.
