Green Bay Packers All-Pro OT David Bakhtiari was placed on IR today the team announced, and his status is in doubt for the team’s Week 10 matchup with the Pittsburgh Steelers.
While he could return after Week Eight and be ready for Green Bay’s Week Nine matchup against the Los Angeles Rams after he misses four games, NFL Media’s Ian Rapoport reports that the injury could be a little more long-term. Bakhtiari suffered a knee injury on December 31, 2020 in practice, and since then he’s had three injuries on the knee.
This IR stint stems from that injury, which has obviously lingered much longer than the Packers or Bakhtiari hoped. Since the start of the 2021 regular season, he’s missed 24 of 47 possible games, including Weeks Two and Three this season. Prior to the injury, he was one of the better and most consistent offensive tackles in the NFL. He’s a five-time All-Pro selection, making the first team twice.
But the injury has lingered and significantly impacted the last few years of Bakhtiari’s career, including this year. Rapoport reports that Bakhtiari underwent arthroscopic surgery on the knee yesterday, and will have to undergo another later in the season to try and get him at full strength for the 2024 season. It’s a big loss for Green Bay, who are looking to return to prominence after trading QB Aaron Rodgers in the offseason and rolling with QB Jordan Love, who they drafted in the first round back in 2020.
Second-year offense tackle Rasheed Walker, a seventh-round pick out of Penn State in 2022, will continue to start to protect Love’s blind side. Walker has been solid thus far this year, posting a 68.2 PFF grade, including a 78.5 pass-blocking grade through 131 snaps. He has been flagged for two penalties, however.
The Steelers have a lot of work to do before the Packers game, but Bakhtiari s potential absence is worth noting given that he’s such a key piece to the team’s offensive line.
