Injuries often play a big part in the success or failure as a football team during any given year. But the correlated property can also be observed: Important players returning from injury-plagued seasons can individually improve or provide a substantial boost the next year.
This is one area of optimism for the 2023 Green Bay Packers because injuries played such a big role in the downfall of the 2022 team.
The offensive line never got settled. Receivers were shuffling in and out of the lineup. The future Hall of Fame quarterback dealt with a broken thumb. The pass-rush and coverage units on defense both took big personnel hits due to injury.
Matt LaFleur’s team will return for training camp later this month as a healthy football team.
Here are seven Packers players with an opportunity to shake off injuries from 2022 and re-emerge (or continue on) as healthy and dominant players in 2023:
LT David Bakhtiari
Bakhtiari, who had three surgeries on his knee between the 2021 and 2022 seasons, missed six games and was on the injury report for 12 of 17 regular-season weeks in 2022. The Packers will hope he’s as close to 100 percent as possible and can appear in every game in 2023. Bakhtiari was excellent when on the field in 2022, allowing just 10 pressures (zero sacks) over 597 total snaps at left tackle. A full, healthy season as Jordan Love’s blindside protector could position Bakhtiari, a five-time All-Pro, for more post-season recognition and bolster his Hall of Fame credentials. Given his contract situation in Green Bay past 2023, Bakhtiari is also playing for his immediate football future.
WR Christian Watson
Given how dominant he was to end the 2022 season, it’s tantalizing to think what kind of year Watson would have produced had injuries not significantly impacted the start of his rookie campaign. The second-round pick lost out on most of training camp after having knee surgery, missed three games with two different hamstring injuries and then got knocked out of another game with what was believed to be a head injury. Once he got healthy, Watson was one of the best receivers in football (and that’s not hyperbole, the numbers back it up.) He’ll have a chance to emerge as a breakout star in 2023 if injuries stay out of the way.
LG Elgton Jenkins
Jenkins was recovering from an ACL tear and prepping to start at right tackle (a completely different position on the opposite side of the line) when he opened the 2022 season. In 2023, he’s fully healthy and back at left guard, where he was a Pro Bowler in 2020 and a dominant player to end 2022. The two situations are polar opposites, giving Jenkins a real chance to be an All-Pro type player in 2023. Imagine if Jenkins and David Bakhtiari are both healthy and back to elite status on the left side of the offensive line? Sounds like a nice tandem to have on your side as a first-year starting quarterback.
CB Eric Stokes
It’s unclear when Stokes, who suffered a significant lower body injury in November last year, will be ready to go in 2023. And it’s fair to question if a player so dependent on speed and change-of-direction ability will be significantly impacted by the injury and recovery time, especially in the first year of his return. But Stokes showed flashes of being a special coverage player as a rookie, and the Packers’ depth at cornerback, especially on the perimeter, will provide an opportunity for him to be eased back into play. If Stokes recovers and gets comfortable, the Packers could have a dominant group of corners down the stretch in 2023.
WR Romeo Doubs
Even as a fourth-round rookie, Doubs was on pace to catch over 60 passes and create over 600 receiving yards during his first eight games of 2022. In Week 9, an ankle injury helped derail his season. Doubs left the game after one snap, missed the next four games and then caught only 11 more passes over the final four weeks. He’ll now enter 2023 as a top breakout candidate. Can Doubs take a developmental step in Year 2 and become a go-to target for Jordan Love? Injuries so often stunt progress for young players, so staying healthy will be key for the former Nevada star.
LB De'Vondre Campbell
After an All-Pro season in 2021, Campbell took a step back in 2022, particularly in terms of defending the run and consistency as a tackler. But don’t discount the role a mid-season knee injury played in his regression last season. Campbell departed one game early, missed four games completely and was still finding his way physically in one or two games post-injury. Five of his six worst graded games at PFF came post-injury. Can Campbell rediscover his All-Pro quality if he’s healthy in 2023? A bounce-back season from Campbell combined with a big leap from 2022 first-round pick Quay Walker could be huge for the middle of the Packers defense.
OLB Rashan Gary
Last but certainly not least is Gary, who went down with a knee injury in November and has an uncertain timeline for returning to the field. It’s possible Gary will be ready to go by Week 1, but it’s also possible he’ll be limited or start the season on the PUP list. Either way, the Packers need him back at edge rusher as soon as possible, preferrably as the dominant player he was pre-injury. Gary meant everything to the pass-rush. While a second-year leap from Kingsley Enagbare and the selection of Lukas Van Ness in the first round should give the Packers time to ease Gary back into the fold, the defense needs him back to be a great group. This could be a dominant pass-rushing front in 2023 if Gary has a big return.
