Green Bay Packers left tackle David Bakhtiari won’t play against Washington Sunday due to ongoing … [+]
The mystery of David Bakhtiari’s surgically repaired left knee continues.
And today will mark the 20th Sunday the Green Bay Packers will be without their former Pro Bowl left tackle since the start of the 2021 season.
Bakhtiari, who’s had three knee surgeries since tearing his ACL on Dec. 30, 2020, was declared inactive for Green Bay’s game today at Washington.
Bakhtiari played just 27 snaps in 2021, with those coming in the regular season finale against Detroit. When the Packers faced San Francisco in the NFC divisional playoffs two weeks later, Bakhtiari still wasn’t ready to go.
Bakhtiari was inactive the first two games of this season, then split time at left tackle with Yosh Nijman in Week 3. That day, Bakhtiari played 56% of Green Bay’s offensive snaps.
Bakhtiari’s snap count rose to 96% in a Week 4 win over New England, dipped to 40% in Week 5 when the Packers traveled to London, and jumped back to 95% in a Week 6 loss to the New York Jets.
“Dave’s done a great job,” Packers coach Matt LaFleur said Friday. “Certainly, you could feel his presence out there in terms of not only the play — I think his play has gotten better and better each and every week, as well.
“But it’s nice, it’s comforting, I think, for Aaron (Rodgers), for the rest of the guys in the huddle. Dave’s played a lot of ball. Hopefully, we can keep building him up and building him up, where you don’t worry about it.”
Bakhtiari was limited in practice all week. Then on Saturday, his status on the injury report was changed to questionable with his knee injury.
Green Bay allowed four sacks and nine quarterback hits in a loss to the Jets last week. The Packers were planning for an offensive line makeover this week, and even without Bakhtiari, appear ready to stick with that plan.
Rookie fourth round draft pick Zach Tom appears likely to replace Bakhtiari at left tackle. Nijman will move to right tackle, Elgton Jenkins will slide inside to left guard and Jon Runyan will move from left guard to right guard.
That means center Josh Myers is the only offensive lineman starting at the same spot he did last week. Making Green Bay’s challenge even tougher is Washington ranks fourth in the NFL in sacks.
“They just wreck havoc on an offensive line and the teams they’ve played and certainly a really talented group,” LaFleur said about the Commanders’ defensive line. “I think they’re well coached, they give great effort. So it’s going to be a great test for us.”
One they’ll have to pass without Bakhtiari.
Rob Reischel, Contributor
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