Packers Starter Seemingly Lost His Job to Rookie During Week 6
By Cem Yolbulan
The Green Bay Packers moved up to 4-2 after the convincing win over the Cardinals on Sunday. However, they are still at the bottom of the highly competitive NFC North, so they have to continue to get better throughout the season. They take on the Texans, Jaguars, and the Lions in the next three games before their bye week. How they fare against that schedule will likely determine how good the Packers should feel for their postseason prospects.
With that objective in mind, the coaching staff is continuing to experiment, especially on the defensive side of the ball. In Week 6, the Packers made the surprising decision to move former first-round pick Eric Stokes to the bench.
Packers News: Eric Stokes Benched in Week 6 Win vs. Cardinals
The Packers benched 2021 first-round pick Eric Stokes. Keisean Nixon moved to the perimeter with Jaire Alexander. Javon Bullard is now the primary slot man.
— Mike Clay (@MikeClayNFL) October 14, 2024
Stokes ended up playing a season-low 16 snaps in the win. The former Georgia Bulldog had played opposite Jaire Alexander to start the season while Keisean Nixon spent the majority of his snaps at the slot. In Week 6, Nixon moved to the perimeter while rookie Javon Bullard started at nickel.
Bullard had started the season at safety, playing most of his snaps there until slowly shifting to the slot. The prized rookie played 93% of defensive snaps against Arizona, most of them coming at the slot.
Fellow rookie Evan Williams had an expanded role at safety, improving upon his standout performance from Week 5. On PFF, he received a season-high 93.3 defensive grade against the Cardinals.
There is a true rotation in #Packers secondary, to a level that is quite rare in this league. Keisean Nixon has been both a nickel and perimeter CB. Javon Bullard has been nickel and safety. Eric Stokes, Evan Williams both rotating onto the field.
— Ryan Wood (@ByRyanWood) October 13, 2024
Seven guys playing five spots.
The rise of two defensive rookies has been a testament to Brian Gutekunst's drafting and the coaching staff's development. Now, the Packers have one of the deepest and most talented defensive backfields in the league. How head coach Matt LaFleur decides to deploy this impressive seven-man rotation will be fascinating to watch all season.
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