Matt LaFleur announces second-year CB Eric Stokes 'unlikely' to play the rest of the season

Green Bay Packers head coach Matt LaFleur had some bad news for an already suffering defense as he announced that cornerback Eric Stokes is most likely going to miss the rest of the season. Stokes hurt his ankle and knee in the Packers loss to the Detroit Lions.

On Friday LaFleur told reporters during a press conference that while he doesn’t have a firm answer, the outlook is grim for the second-year cornerback out of Georgia.

“It’s looking unlikely but I don’t have an exact update for that,” LaFleur said of Stokes playing again this season.

Stokes played in the Packers nine games to date and has 26 tackles. He was on the field for more than 90% of defensive snaps for Green Bay until he went out against the Lions.

LaFleur recently discussed the injuries the Packers have faced this year

As the struggling Packers prepare to host the Dallas Cowboys, LaFleur opened up about the issues the team has faced all season with injuries. On Wednesday, the Packers placed leading pass rusher Rashan Gary on injured reserve.

The Wednesday practice report also featured a slew of non-participants, including David Bakhtiari (knee), Romeo Doubs (ankle), Elgton Jenkins (knee), QB Aaron Rodgers (right thumb), CB Eric Stokes (ankle/knee), and WR Sammy Watkins (knee).

“You always try to plan for the worst and hope for the best, in regards to injuries,” LaFleur said. “If I say yes, I feel like I’m making an excuse. it’s football. You have to adapt, you have to adjust. Do I think it can be challenging? Absolutely. But nobody’s feeling sorry for us, across the league, we’re not feeling sorry for ourselves either.

“You have truly to have that next-man-up mentality. When you have depth, it’s definitely comforting, especially at certain positions, and when you don’t, it presents challenges. But every team is facing these issues.”

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Things don’t get any easier for the reeling Packers’ franchise. Next up, they face one of the best teams in the National Football League, the 6-2 Dallas Cowboys. Kickoff is at 4:25 p.m. ET at Lambeau Field.

On3’s Nikki Chavanelle contributed to this report