Still dealing with knee trouble, David Bakhtiari will return to injured reserve. The Packers will be without their All-Pro blind-sider for at least four games, NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport and Tom Pelissero report. The Packers have since announced the IR placement.
Bakhtiari has not played since Week 1. Because this transaction is taking place before Green Bay’s Week 4 game, Bakhtiari would be eligible to return in Week 8. But it is far from a lock he will be able to do so, with Rapoport indicating the 11th-year veteran may need more time to come back this year — if, in fact, a return is in the cards.
Bakhtiari, who will turn 32 on Saturday, has undergone three knee surgeries since his New Year’s Eve 2020 ACL tear. That injury effectively threw the highly paid blocker’s career off course. He only returned for a handful of snaps during the 2021 season and missed six games last year, though an appendectomy contributed to his 2022 missed-games ledger. Prior to the seminal 2020 setback — one that played a significant role in the Packers’ Super Bowl LV push falling just short — Bakhtiari had never missed more than four games in a season.
Matt LaFleur said Bakhtiari experienced swelling in his surgically repaired knee before Week 2. The fifth-year Green Bay HC had previously declined to comment on Bakhtiari playing on FieldTurf; the veteran has been a vocal opponent of the surface. But Bakhtiari also missed the Packers’ home opener at Lambeau Field, putting to rest the speculation his Week 2 absence was field surface-related.
It is safe to say Bakhtiari’s career is now at a crossroads. The Packers are certainly a better team when the four-time Pro Bowler is available, but this is the third season in which knee trouble will lead to a lengthy absence. The Packers are also down Elgton Jenkins to a knee injury. Jenkins joined Bakhtiari in missing much of the 2021 season, having suffered an ACL tear himself. But Jenkins recovered from his severe injury on time and has since signed a lucrative Packers extension. Jenkins has been out since suffering an MCL sprain in Week 1. The fifth-year guard does not expect this injury to force an IR stint, ESPN.com’s Rob Demovsky notes.
Rasheed Walker has primarily replaced Bakhtiari at left tackle. While the Packers were able to get by without both Bakhtiari and Jenkins en route to home-field advantage in 2021, Aaron Rodgers being in MVP form propped up that effort. Jordan Love being without his best two O-linemen will obviously hinder the cause early in his starter run, though the Rodgers successor managed to eke out a shorthanded win over the Saints last week.
The Packers are also expected to have two of their skill-position pillars back against the Lions tonight. Aaron Jones is set to return from his hamstring injury, per NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero, who adds Christian Watson is on track to make his season debut after missing three weeks due to a hamstring ailment.
Too bad the Jets didn’t trade for him. That would have made their comical situation even funnier.
But Aaaaaaron would have had another playmate to rehab with!
Bak Career is in the Crossroads. We may have seen the last of Bak in Lambeau.. Set to make 21 million next year.. With a 40million Dead Cap hit. Iff The Packers were to cut him They still owe him 19Million from previous years of Restructures. My guess is Ship him to New York ask for a 4th rounder in return. Or even say Hell give us a 2025 6th rounder but wipe our hands clean of his salary soo Green Bay wont owe anything for next year.. Jets need OL badly but the Honest truth idk iff He will be able to dress much next yr. His knee isnt in a good place.. Might be best to reture but than he walking away from alot of money he give up.. GB best moving Jenkins to LT once healthy go young and Draft a OL early next yr.. Luckily They been deep at the OL position..
Per Spotrac, he has a 40mm dead cap this year and a 19mm dead cap next year. with a 40mm cap hit next year they save 21mm by cutting.
Not sure why anyone would trade for him with how little he plays because of injuries.
Bakhtiari is at a crossroads in his career. His best option may be chugging beer at the Bucks games. Doesn’t look like he’ll have meaningful playing time with the Packers
Bakhtiari doesn’t have to go the stadium to chug beers. He signed a guaranteed, long term contract on time and will be able to drink vintage wine poolside at his $10 million mansion for the rest of his life.
Ohhh noes,,, who else is there to blatantly hold every play as a LT for GB?
Difficult question, but presumably a non-Pro Bowl tackle.
Packer fans have lost patience with Dillon lately, some of which is deserved, but I would ask how much the state of the offensive line plays into that. I’ve said before my opinion on smart/experienced quarterbacks helping to compensate for offensive line play, and now the loss of the Packers’ best lineman in Jenkins makes Bakhtiari more important. Bakhtiari is a better pass blocker than run blocker (rather, he was), and Green Bay is used to playing without him by now. However, it seems that the line, which probably could have used some investment before, needs it rather badly now.
After giving up the sack early last night, to a guy who previously had a total of 1 over his 5 year career, I changed my opinion of Dillon somewhat. The dude has no burst, and it’s basically straight ahead and hope to drag defenders for 3-4 yards. The line seemingly having zero ability to block, singularly or by double teaming (on the previously mentioned sack play, Myers and I believe Runyan both just let him by) doesn’t help his efforts, and I’ve said since week 1 Lafleur is being exposed as a poor play caller, as well as having no clock management skills.
I also think it’s time to slow the roll on anointing Love as the next HOF QB in town. I respect his mentality, not getting too down after a bad play, but he’s not that good. Yet.
Getting to Bahktiari..I can’t help but wonder if that meaningless appearance 1 year after the injury is a (or THE) factor in everything since. Or if any/all of the surgeries didn’t go as they should have. People like to believe doctors never screw up, but it happens plenty. This whole thing might be dragging on because of that, rather than HIM being the issue like so many are convinced is the case.
Packers are running into Gute’s bad choices every week now. The 2020 draft is haunting him now. This Bak contract the same.
I’ve said it before, and I don’t mean to hang it on Packers fans again, but that draft was just terrible. And it was pretty obvious at the time.
Love may turn out well, which will help, but even if he does, the abject passing on taking either a linebacker or wide receiver really hurt those NFC Championship squads’ chances. Thing is, it wasn’t JUST the Love selection. There weren’t any difference makers who started that next year. Dillon at least played a significant role, so that was decent. Runyan has started, but the most significant player taken in a year following a championship on the conference level was a backup running back. That is just inexcusable, especially with roster holes that obvious.
Was that the year (prior to this one..) they drafted 2 tight ends who everyone thought should have gone 1 round later? Not only did he pick the wrong positions, he picked too many that just weren’t good enough to be taken as early as they were.
Deguara in the third was that year at tight end. The other picks were Love (1st, and a trade-up), Dillon (2nd), Deguara (3rd), Kamal Martin (4th), Jon Runyan (6th), Jake Hanson (6th), Simon Stepaniak (6th), Vernon Scott (7th), and Johnathon Garvin (7th). Deguara was the only TE that year. All the sixth rounders were o-linemen. Martin and Garvin were edge rushers, and Scott was a safety. None of these players, save Runyan, Dillon, Deguara, and Love are still with the team. I don’t think that any are in the NFL.
The 2020 draft I truly believe is one of the worst in NFL history when you factor in where the team was at that point and where the first, second, and third rounders came into play.
They were coming off of an NFC Championship appearance and they took a QB who didn’t even dress for games, a RB who factored to be their 3rd RB, and a TE who sat behind Tonyan and Lewis.
Then 2021 they turned around and opted to draft yet another defensive back, skipped over Humphrey to draft Myers and then drafted Amari Rodgers 1, 2, and 3.
If those two drafts don’t get you fired I don’t know how else you get fired.