Tag: David Bakhtiari

NFL analyst says the Vikings bringing in a free agent OT “makes sense”

Should the Minnesota Vikings bring in a free agent to replace Christian Darrisaw? Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer thinks it “makes sense”.

On Thursday night, things quickly went from bad to worse for the Minnesota Vikings against the Los Angeles Rams. It wasn’t enough that the Vikings defense got bullied for the second straight week, and the team lost their second game in a row after winning their first five.

The football gods had to add injury to insult—quite literally—as the Vikings lost their starting left tackle, Christian Darrisaw, for the season with a torn ACL and MCL. Darrisaw was playing at a Pro Bowl level this season and was a big reason why the Vikings offense—and the team in general—got off to such a hot start.

The injury has left many wondering what the Vikings plan on doing at the position in the wake of Darrisaw’s absence, and they have plenty of options. Swing tackle David Quessenberry came into the game on Thursday after Darrisaw’s injury, and has plenty of experience at tackle in the NFL. However, there was a clear difference in the level of play of the offense post-Darrisaw injury with Quessenberry in.

If the Vikings don’t trust Quessenberry full-time at the position, they also have Blake Brandel as an option. Brandel is currently playing left guard for the team, but also has experience at tackle. With Dalton Risner expected to return, head coach Kevin O’Connell could opt to swing Brandel outside and put Risner at tackle.

The third option — and one that Sports Illustrated’s NFL analyst Albert Breer says “makes sense” in his Week 8 Takeaways column for the outlet — is signing a tackle off free agency. Breer suggests the likes of D.J. Humphries, David Bakhtiari, and Charles Leno as options.

All three players have extensive experience at the position and would make for a solid rental option to finish out the season. As Breer points out in the column, Darrisaw is still just 25 years old, and there’s no reason to think he won’t make a full recovery from this injury, so there’s no need for the Vikings to go out and make a drastic move at the position for someone who would be a long-term solution. However, Breer believes bringing someone in for the short term could be the right move for Minnesota.

5 offensive tackles Broncos could sign to replace Mike McGlinchey

After losing Mike McGlinchey to an MCL injury, the Broncos should consider these free agent offensive tackles.

After losing right tackle Mike McGlinchey for “about a month” to a sprained MCL, the Denver Broncos must now find a replacement.

Matt Peart might be the in-house favorite to start while McGlinchey is sidelined, but the Broncos would be wise to at least bring in more depth at the position. Alex Palczewski filled in for McGlinchey for two snaps on Sunday, but those were the first two snaps of his career, and rookie Frank Crum was inactive for each of the team’s first two games this season.

Here’s a quick list of five outside players Denver could consider bringing in for workouts this week.

Free agent offensive tackles

1. Billy Turner: The 32-year-old vet had two previous stints with the Broncos and has experience at both tackle and guard.

2. Cam Fleming: Another ex-Denver tackle, the 32-year-old Fleming filled in for one game in 2023 and started 15 games in 2022.

3. D.J. Humphries: A 30-year-old former first-round pick who started 98 games for the Arizona Cardinals from 2016-2023, including 16 games last season.

4. Donovan Smith: He started 12 games for the Kansas City Chiefs last season. The 31-year-old former second-round pick won Super Bowls with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Chiefs.

5. David Bakhtiari: The decorated 32-year-old veteran has struggled with injuries, playing just one game last season and one game in 2021. He was healthy for 11 games in 2022. If healthy, Bakhtiari would be an intriguing option for the Broncos.

Denver will likely bring in tackles for tryouts in the coming days. If McGlinchey is placed on injured reserve, that would free up a roster spot for a potential signing this week.

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Free agent offensive tackle David Bakhtiari eager to remind teams how much he has left in the tank

David Bakhtiari claims he’s healthy. Should the Commanders be interested?

In case you haven’t heard, the Washington Commanders could use some help at left tackle. The Commanders released former left tackle Charles Leno Jr. ahead of free agency, but Leno was unlikely to be in the team’s plans in 2024.

Many assumed Washington would be aggressive in landing a left tackle in the 2024 NFL draft. After the Commanders selected quarterback Jayden Daniels at No. 2 overall, Washington was aggressive in attempting to move back into the first round but was unable to strike a deal.

Instead, the Commanders used the second pick in the third round — No. 67 overall — on TCU offensive tackle Brandon Coleman. While some believe Coleman will be better at guard, the Commanders believe he’s an NFL tackle with an untapped upside.

Even with Coleman, who is no sure thing to start early, the Commanders could use more help. As of now, veteran Cornelius Lucas will start Week 1 at left tackle. While Lucas has proven to be a capable short-term option for years, the Commanders would probably be more comfortable with him in his normal swing tackle role.

However, Washington’s options are limited. One potential option, though, is quite intriguing. Former Green Bay Packers left tackle David Bakhtiari, who has dealt with injuries since 2020, is healthy and ready to return to finish his career on a strong note.

Before he was hit with multiple knee injuries, Bakhtiari was a five-time All-Pro and three-time Pro Bowler.

“A lot of other people wanted me to just kind of grit through it, but no one experiences what you truly experience,” Bakhtiari told Adam Schefter on his podcast via ESPN. “Look, I’ve been gritting through it for three years. I’m in constant pain. I’m so happy now to be on the other side of it and get the actual surgery that I needed because my knee was not in a good place.”

Bakhtiari isn’t looking to sign with someone in December and help for a playoff push. He wants to play all season and possibly more.

“My goal right now is just to make sure that I not only fully recover but I can withstand and play the game that I want to play but also play and be there for a team no matter what,” Bakhtiari said. “I’m not a reliever guy; I am your cornerstone guy. Someone that’s not only going to play in September but in December and into February and obviously hopefully for another couple of years.”

How does that sound for Washington? We’ve written about the possibility of Washington signing Bakhtiari before but admitted it was unlikely due to his age and health. Now, Bakhtiari doesn’t believe his health will be an issue.

Does this change things for the Commanders?

Bakhtiari said he wants to win a Super Bowl in his short playing window, but that’s unlikely to happen in Washington right now. Still, if the Commanders come calling, Bakhtiari is unlikely to turn down the opportunity if other teams aren’t interested.

 

How can the Commanders solve their biggest remaining hole ahead of training cap?

What should the Commanders do at left tackle?

It was a foregone conclusion entering the offseason that the Washington Commanders would make a move at offensive tackle. The Commanders were busy during the early stages of free agency, signing over a dozen players within the first week.

However, none of those players were an offensive tackle. That’s not to say Washington didn’t address the offensive line. The Commanders signed center Tyler Biadasz and guard Nick Allegretti, both of whom will likely start. Washington did re-sign veteran tackle Cornelius Lucas, bringing him back for his fifth season with the franchise.

The Commanders still had the 2024 NFL draft, and many believed they would move back into the first round for one of the offensive tackles in what was a deep class. The first round came and went, and Washington did not move back into the first, although there were attempts to do so.

The Commanders did use a high third-round pick on TCU offensive lineman Brandon Coleman. Washington said Coleman would be a tackle, and while others view him as a guard, his film and athletic profile is promising.

We’ve discussed multiple veteran options for the Commanders. While none would be long-term solutions, there just aren’t many players who could come in and start Week 1 at left tackle.

Bleacher Report recently looked at seven teams that didn’t address their major holes in the 2024 NFL draft and suggested what these teams could do to improve.

Washington’s tackle problem was listed.

Here’s what B/R said about the Commanders’ tackle need:

New center Tyler Biadasz and third-year guard Sam Cosmi are the only offensive linemen on the squad proven to be at least average starters. The rest—left tackle Cornelius Lucas, left guard Nick Allegretti and right tackle Andrew Wylie—are all replacement level or worse.

The blindside commands priority. It always has and it always will. With a rookie quarterback in the building, especially one with some of the pocket-management concerns Jayden Daniels brings, the priority on sorting out the position is raised even higher.

As we sit here in June, the Commanders’ options at left tackle are Lucas, Cosmi and third-round rookie Brandon Coleman.

Lucas is hardly a serious consideration. He’s been a fine spot starter for the Commanders for half a decade now, but if he was good enough to be locked into a starting job, he would be by now.

Cosmi is an intriguing option but not a surefire answer. He played both left and right tackle in college, as well as right tackle for most of his time with the Commanders. However, he has yet to play left tackle in the NFL, in part because he lacks the range and length you see from the best blindside protectors. It’s why he’s kicked inside to guard.

Even if Cosmi does OK at left tackle, that just makes the guard spot worse in turn. Being better at left tackle is probably more valuable, but the Commanders would just be moving one quality lineman to a different position rather than adding another good player to the line. That doesn’t solve much.

Then there’s the rookie Coleman. Right off the bat, it’s hard to trust any third-round tackle to be an immediate positive presence on the left side. He is also coming from an Air Raid-style offense that doesn’t really pass protect with the same rules or spacing as the NFL. That’s going to create a steep learning curve. Chances are Coleman won’t be ready for the spotlight Week 1.

The Commanders should be in the market for the handful of remaining left tackles out there.

D.J. Humphries, Donovan Smith, and David Bakhtiari were all named as potential signings for Washington. We’ve discussed each. Humphries tore his ACL at the end of the season and will not be ready for the early part of the season. He may not be able to play at all. Bakhtiari has been injured for much of the past three seasons. Smith would be a potential option for one season.

As far as the potential of Cosmi moving back to tackle, that would be a horrible move for him and the team. He has All-Pro potential at guard and is heading into a contract year. Peters and Quinn see Cosmi’s future at guard, too.

Coleman and Lucas both worked at left tackle during OTAs and minicamp. Washington’s ultimate outcome would be Coleman winning the job.

B/R says the Saints are a perfect fit for David Bakhtiari

Bleacher Report says the Saints and David Bakhitari could be a perfect fit as a mentor for their two young offensive tackles:

Former Green Bay Packers All-Pro left tackle David Bakhtiari remains on the free agent market, and Bleacher Report’s Kristopher Knox linked Bakhtiari to the New Orleans Saints in what he says would be a perfect marriage. Bakhtiari was once a consistent member of the All-Pro team year in and year out. He was the only offensive tackle to make All-Pro every year from 2016 to 2020.

Unfortunately, injuries derailed what once appeared to be a promising Hall of Fame career. The Saints have seen that story before. A torn ACL on Dec. 27, 2020 left a permanent impact on Bakhtiari’s left knee and he has only played 13 regular season games in three years since. The Saints’ situation at offensive tackle is fluid, specifically at left tackle. Rookie Taliese Fuaga is currently running with the starters at that position, and Trevor Penning is manning the starting right tackle spot.

That situation is in flux, and adding Bakhtiari at left tackle could bring a veteran presence that would benefit either of the young players. He would be a perfect insurance plan in case Penning has to move back to left tackle and doesn’t take a step up from last year. Bakhtiari could also start the year in case Fuaga still needs to get acclimated to his new position at the beginning of the year. One complication? His injury history and public criticism of artificial turf surfaces, which he’d be seeing a lot of inside the Caesars Superdome. That might be a turnoff during any talks about bringing him to New Orleans.

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Could former All-Pro David Bakhtiari be an option for the Commanders?

Bakhtiari recently received a positive health update.

We are a little over two months away from veteran Cornelius Lucas opening Washington Commanders’ training camp as the left tackle. Considering Washington’s investment in quarterback Jayden Daniels, that may not be the best decision.

Lucas has been with Washington since 2020 and started a bunch of games. He’s been good. However, the longer he plays, the more his flaws are exposed. Lucas has been a valuable player for the Commanders and that’s why the regime brought him back at almost 33 years old.

Washington drafted TCU’s Brandon Coleman early in the third round of last month’s NFL draft. While some believe Coleman may be better at guard, the Commanders loved his tape, and he has excellent measurables, which they feel translates to left tackle.

But you can’t count on a third-round rookie in Week 1.

Washington largely ignored the position in free agency, outside of bringing back Lucas. The Commanders released last year’s starter, Charles Leno Jr., who had offseason surgery. While there are no surefire options available right now, there is one particularly intriguing player available.

Former Green Bay offensive tackle David Bakhtiari played only one game last season and has played in just 13 games over the past three seasons as he has undergone two knee surgeries.

Bakhtiari recently received some positive injury news, according to Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network. Bakhtiari will be 33 in September, and Washington has plenty of cap space remaining to take a chance on Bakhtiari for the upcoming season.

Bakhtiari will not be costly, as no team will break the bank on him. This means he could be a smart buy-low candidate if team doctors clear him for 2024. A two-time first-team All-Pro and a three-time second-team All-Pro, Bakhtiari could at least be brought in for a workout.

 

ESPN says the Saints still have a major roster hole ahead of 2024 draft

ESPN’s Bill Barnwell says the Saints have yet to address a major team need going into the 2024 NFL draft. It’s obvious they need more help at offensive tackle:

It’s hardly a surprise to see someone suggesting the New Orleans Saints aren’t good enough at offensive tackle — watching any of their games from last season will give them all the proof they need to back that statement up. Still, ESPN’s Bill Barnwell took a deeper dive than most in exploring why this is such a problem, and how the Saints can clean it up.

The good news is that the Saints have just one outgoing free agent at the position, and it shouldn’t be hard to re-sign them; the question is whether Andrus Peat will agree to return to New Orleans at a price point that makes sense for the team, or if he’ll try to find a better offer in free agency. Barnwell says that’s the easiest solution for their problem at left tackle, where Trevor Penning hasn’t met expectations.

But James Hurst had a rough year at left guard and Ryan Ramczyk’s degenerative knee condition makes leaning on him tricky. So far, the team has only added Oli Udoh, one of first-year offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak’s former players on the Minnesota Vikings. Here’s how Barnwell laid it out:

Hurst and Ramczyk took pay cuts to stay as opposed to the sort of classic contract restructures the Saints use in which they pay a player in full but spread the money over five seasons. The only addition they have made on the edge is Udoh, who had served as a utility lineman for the Vikings before tearing his quadriceps muscle in September and missing most of the 2023 season. He’s more likely a replacement for Hurst as the swing lineman (with Hurst penciled in as the full-time left guard) than a potential starting tackle. Landon Young, who took over for Ramczyk in December before getting injured himself, is also on the roster.

Young was less-than-impressive when stepping in for Ramczyk, and he suffered his own injury that sidelined him for the last two weeks of the season; veteran backup Cameron Erving (an unsigned free agent, at the moment) came up from the practice squad to take his place. If nothing else, the Saints need more depth than they worked with a year ago. Signing Peat could achieve that but the Saints could have already brought him back if they viewed him as a priority. Head coach Dennis Allen has left the door open for a reunion but it doesn’t sound very likely.

So what’s the best path forward? Again, Barnwell argues, re-signing Peat could make the most sense. But it’s not the only option. Here’s what he proposes with the 2024 NFL draft on the horizon:

It would have made sense to agree to a deal with Peat before the start of the new league year to mitigate the dead money on his deal, but the Saints might have been more optimistic then about Ramczyk’s chances of being healthy. Peat’s market hasn’t developed, and there aren’t many other players left in free agency with a track record of playing left tackle. David Bakhtiari and Mekhi Becton have significant injury histories, and Peat might have been better than Charles Leno and Donovan Smith a year ago. Reuniting with Peat would also afford New Orleans the flexibility of moving Hurst to left tackle and bumping Peat back inside to guard.

The Saints also have the 14th overall pick and could use that on a tackle prospect, but would there be any hesitation on their end after seemingly swinging and missing on Penning? This organization has used five first- or second-round picks on offensive linemen going back to Peat’s selection in 2015, and while that’s a perfectly reasonable way to build a football team, they have needs elsewhere that they can’t fill with high-end veterans in free agency. At the same time, if they’ve given up on Penning and Ramczyk can’t play, they might need to re-sign Peat and use their top pick on an offensive lineman.

The Saints have invested a ton of draft capital into their offensive line over the years and going back to that well might be their best path forward. We’ll have to see if they make any more additions in free agency over the next month, or if they’re counting on one of their early-round picks (at Nos. 14 and 45 overall) to cure what ails them.

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Packers announce release of LT David Bakhtiari: ‘One of the best linemen in the history of the Packers’

The Packers officially announced the release of five-time All-Pro LT David Bakhtiari on Monday.

The Green Bay Packers officially announced the release of five-time All-Pro left tackle David Bakhtiari on Monday, ending an 11-year run for one of the NFL’s most decorated and successful offensive linemen of the last two decades.

The Packers separately announced the releases of Bakhtiari and running back Aaron Jones, two of the best players in the franchise’s history.

As was the case with Jones, general manager Brian Gutekunst and coach Matt LaFleur commented on Bakhtiari’s departure in a press release.

Gutekunst called Bakhtiari “one of the premier tackles of his generation and one of the best linemen in the history of the Packers.” LaFleur described him as “one of the best offensive linemen that has played in the NFL” and a “cornerstone” of the Packers locker room.

A fourth-round pick in 2013, Bakhtiari emerged as one of the NFL’s best left tackles and one of the best pass protectors in NFL history. Across a five-year stretch from 2016 to 2020, Bakhtiari made five All-Pro teams (two first, three second) and made three Pro Bowls.

According to Pro Football Focus, Bakhtiari allowed 32 sacks and 234 pressures across 5,757 pass-blocking snaps during the regular season and postseason with the Packers. He allowed one sack every 180 pass-blocking snaps.

Bakhtiari injured his knee on Dec. 31, 2020. He then battled through three nightmare seasons in which he played in only 13 games, including just one last season. Bakhtiari’s injured knee required a fifth operation during the 2023 season.

Perhaps of note for the Jets, Packers release LT David Bakhtiari

Perhaps of some interest to the offensive tackle-needy New York Jets, the Packers are set to release left tackle David Bakhtiari.

Perhaps of some interest to the New York Jets, left tackle David Bakhtiari posted a farewell to the Packers’ faithful, signaling that his time in Green Bay is now over, with the team set to release him on Wednesday when the new league year begins.

Of course, there are two big reasons why this news may draw the Jets’ interest: one is Bakhtiari’s relationship with Aaron Rodgers. The two weren’t only teammates for ten seasons but were also noted best friends.

From a football perspective, the Jets’ biggest roster need right now resides at the tackle position. The best-case scenario is that they have to find only one starter, with Alijah Vera-Tucker able to man one of the starting tackle openings, and most likely, that would be on the right side.

However, if the Jets feel Vera-Tucker will be better suited at guard long-term, because as Joe Douglas said, it is not the Jets’ intention to continue moving him around, then the Jets have two holes at the tackle position to fill. My guess is that who the Jets add in free agency and the draft will dictate where Vera-Tucker starts the season.

After suffering an ACL injury late in the 2020 season, Bakhtiari has played in only 13 games over the last three years, including one game in 2021 and one game in 2023. After being placed on IR early last season, Bakhtiari underwent two more procedures on his knee that hopefully fixed the ailing issue for good. 

Prior to Bakhtiari’s injury, he was on a Hall of Fame trajectory and was named an All-Pro five consecutive seasons. While Bakhtiari’s availability moving forward is an obvious concern, when he has been on the field, he’s still played at a very high level.

In 2022, when Bakhtiari played in 11 games, he didn’t surrender a sack and allowed only 10 total pressures. He ranked fourth among all tackles in PFF’s pass-blocking efficiency that season.

Even in Bakhtiari’s lone start this past season against Chicago, he played extremely well, not surrendering a single pressure.

What Bakhtiari’s market is going to look like from a financial standpoint is very much an unknown, given that there is still quite a bit of uncertainty around his game-to-game availability. Perhaps this leads to a more team-friendly deal, at least for the 2024 season.

It is also still not known when exactly he is going to be available. For Bakhtiari, the hope is to be ready for training camp this summer, but that is dependent upon how his recovery goes.

For what it’s worth, Bakhtiari has also been very outspoken about turn fields and how they are detrimental to a player’s health, specifically with lower body injuries. The Jets, of course, play on turf at MetLife Stadium. Who knows how much, or if at all, this plays a factor into where Bakhtiari wants to end up.

While there has been movement early on in free agency at the guard and center markets, the offensive tackle position remains relatively untouched during the early portions of the legal tampering periods. It may take players like Tyron Smith or Trent Brown signing somewhere – two players who the Jets could be in on – to help establish what this market is going to look like for Bakhtiari and others.

This also happens to be an extremely rich tackle draft class, with the Jets holding the 10th overall pick. However, at least somewhat addressing the need in free agency gives the Jets some added flexibility in the draft–not to mention that they have potentially two starting spots to fill – plus depth – and only two picks in the top 100.

Individual accolades aside, Bakhtiari made it clear during his last press conference with the Green Bay media prior to being placed on IR that he wants to win a Super Bowl. Joining a team that has that potential will likely be a box that Bakhtiari will want to check this offseason.

Packers releasing LT David Bakhtiari, will save over $20M in cap space

The Packers are releasing left tackle David Bakhtiari.

The Green Bay Packers are releasing left tackle David Bakhtiari, according to Tom Silverstein of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.

Bakhtiari, a five-time All-Pro who has fought through knee issues for three straight seasons, announced the end of his 11-year run in Green Bay earlier Monday.

The release is the end of the line for an elite player who was the best in the game at his position for over a half decade but suffered one terrible injury. Over the last three seasons, Bakhtiari played in just 13 games — and he missed all but the season opener in 2023.

Bakhtiari was set to count $40,018,311 against the Packers cap in 2024. Instead of committing 15 percent of the total cap to Bakhtiari and his still recovering knee, the Packers will move on, saving $20,935,294 while pushing $19,083,017 onto the cap as dead money. In other words, the Packers will count over $19 million on the cap for Bakhtiari this season despite him likely to play elsewhere.

But the $20 million is also valuable for a team that has two starting-caliber offensive tackle and needs help at safety, linebacker and running back. The cap space will allow general manager Brian Gutekunst to be aggressive in free agency, which opens officially on Wednesday. The legal tampering period arrived Monday.

The Packers originally selected Bakhtiari in the fourth round of the 2013 draft.

Between 2016 and 2020, Bakhtiari made three second-team All-Pro teams and two first-team All-Pro teams.

Per Silverstein, Bakhtiari wants to keep playing and will now be free to find a new team immediately.