Packers News: Darnell Savage, Eric Stokes, Corey Ballentine and more

The Green Bay Packers were busy on Wednesday, making five moves to address their injury concerns on their 53-man roster and practice squad. The injuries leave them extremely thin in the secondary and searching for answers heading into their Week 8 matchup against the Minnesota Vikings.

Having dropped three straight with no light at the end of the tunnel, the Packers and their fans could have dark days ahead. Minnesota has suddenly won three of four after defeating the San Francisco 49ers. Meanwhile, Green Bay is heading into the most challenging part of their schedule.

Although the Vikings are on the immediate horizon, let’s touch on the five moves the Packers made on Wednesday involving Darnell Savage, Eric Stokes and others.

The latest Green Bay Packers news featuring updates on Darnell Savage, Eric Stokes, Corey Ballentine and plenty of other moves in the secondary.

Darnell Savage

Savage was added to the injured reserve after re-aggravating his calf injury against the Denver Broncos last Sunday. It’s been an injury-riddled season for the soon-to-be free agent. His play has also been inconsistent, however, Green Bay doesn’t have a better option to replace him. Jonathan Owens will likely be the next man up, as Savage will miss at least the next four games.

Eric Stokes

Stokes is also headed to the injured reserve after playing a whopping four special teams snaps against Denver. For some reason, the Packers’ coaching staff thought putting him as a gunner would be a good idea after he struggled with hamstring injuries in his recovery process. It’s another hamstring injury that will sideline him. It’s been a frustrating year and a half for the former first-round pick.

Corey Ballentine

With Savage and Stokes on the injured reserve, Green Bay needed to address a couple of roster openings. They signed Ballentine to the 53-man roster, as he was previously on the practice squad and out of elevations. He’s played significant snaps at times for the Packers this season and has had varying degrees of success. With rookie Carrington Valentine being picked on by the Broncos and Jaire Alexander battling a back injury, he should get some opportunities with the team.

Robert Rochell

There are two new faces in Green Bay this week, one on the roster and one on the practice squad. Rochell, a cornerback, was signed off the Carolina Panthers practice squad and to the Packers’ 53-man roster. He’s bounced around quite a bit after being a fourth-round pick of the Rams in 2021.

Zyon Gilbert

With an opening on the practice squad due to Ballentine’s elevation, Green Bay signed Gilbert, a cornerback, to fill that role. Gilbert was an undrafted free agent for the New York Giants last year who received some playing time as a practice squad elevation. He’s buried on the depth chart in Green Bay, but as we’ve seen, injuries may create opportunities for him to get on the field.