Green Bay Packers left tackle David Bakhtiari took two rather large steps forward in his return timeline on Friday.
Not only did Bakhtiari practice in a full capacity, but the team listed him as questionable on the final injury report, giving him a legitimate opportunity to play for the first time since injuring his ACL on New Year’s Eve in 2020.
Coach Matt LaFleur wouldn’t commit to Bakhtiari playing on Sunday but he left the door wide open. The team will assess Bakhtiari’s status after evaluating how the All-Pro left tackle is feeling – especially after a full practice – on Saturday.
“I thought he looked really good, but we’ll see how he comes in tomorrow and see how he’s feeling before we totally commit to that, whether or not he’s playing,” LaFleur said Friday.
Bakhtiari missed last season’s finale, two playoff games and all 16 games this season after tearing his ACL during practice on Dec. 31.
Getting him back on the field before the postseason is the best-case scenario, but the Packers want to make sure – without any doubt – that he’s ready to play.
“In David’s case, here’s a guy that hasn’t played in over a year,” LaFleur said. “Would we love to see him out there? Absolutely. But we want to make sure that he’s in the right mindset first and foremost but also that he can protect himself and he’s fully functional. He’s coming off a big injury. We just want to make sure everything is 100 percent, or as close as it can be to 100 percent, before we put him out there.”
Assessing Bakhtiari and his knee after his work on the practice field this week will be an important final step. He was limited on Wednesday, conditioned on Thursday and returned on Ftiday. If he feels good on Saturday, the Packers sound prepared to let him play Sunday in Detroit.
If Bakhtiari can’t go, the Packers would start Yosh Nijman at left tackle. He’s made eight starts already at left tackle this season.
Even if Bakhtiari isn’t ready to play on Sunday, all signs are pointing to him being available for the start of the postseason. He could get in two weeks of full practices before the Packers host the NFC Divisional Round, so the team will have a good idea where he’s at and if he can play at a high level to open the postseason.
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