The Green Bay Packers have placed David Bakhtiari on the injured reserve, which means he will miss at least the next four weeks. The three-time Pro Bowl left tackle has already missed the last two weeks after appearing in the Packers' season-opening win over the Chicago Bears.
Bakhtiari is one of the best in the business at left tackle — at least, that was his reputation prior to tearing his ACL in 2020. Since then, Bakhtiari has faced a long and troublesome road back. He has missed 24 of 27 regular season games since the start of the 2021 campaign.
The 31-year-old has undergone three surgeries on his knee without the desired result. He still has confidence in his abilities, though, and it's difficult for him to stomach the idea of retirement.
"I just enjoy it too much and I'm too f****** good at it," he told ESPN. "It's just tough for me to... if I was bad, like, when I play games with like one hand tied behind my back and I'm still just like doing my thing. At least if I was bad, I'd maybe entertain it a little more, but that's the part that's tough, when I know I'm still good and at a disadvantage."
The Packers will also be without Elgton Jenkins against the Detroit Lions on Thursday Night Football.
Green Bay Packers' injury woes get worse with David Bakhtiari update
The Packers' injury report has been longer than ideal in recent weeks. Bakhtiari is the most notable name, but there are injuries up and down the offensive and defensive depth charts. Luckily for Green Bay, the upcoming schedule favors extra rest and recuperation. After Thursday night, the Packers will play one game over the next 23 days. It's like a two-for-one buy week.
Green Bay has started the season strong, jumping out to a 2-1 record (it should be 3-0, but a confounding fourth-quarter collapse against the Atlanta Falcons proved to be Jordan Love's welcome-to-the-NFL moment). Love has effectively captained an offense short its best weapons. Christian Watson and Aaron Jones are both expected back for Thursday's bout with the Lions, so the injury bug is slowly healing on the whole.
For Bakhtiari, however, this is another devastating blow. He has barely played in two years. At this point, it's hard to imagine the Packers being in any rush to get the all-world offensive tackle back on the field. It's important to protect Love and afford him extra time in the pocket, but it's even more important to make sure this is Bakhtiari's final setback. He shouldn't play NFL snaps until he's 110 percent.