Tag: David Bakhtiari

Packers LT David Bakhtiari feels good, trusts process and wants another All-Pro season

Packers LT David Bakhtiari feels good after an offseason without surgery, trusts the process of protecting his surgically-repaired knee and wants another dominant, All-Pro type season in 2023.

Green Bay Packers left tackle David Bakhtiari feels good after an offseason without surgery, trusts the process of protecting his surgically-repaired knee, and wants another dominant, All-Pro-type season in 2023.

Bakhtiari, a five-time All-Pro, is working on a modified practice schedule during training camp in an effort to keep his knee — which needed three surgeries between 2021 and 2022 — as healthy as possible. So far, so good.

“I feel good. Not going to be a fortune teller or anything…but the team and I understand what we need to do. We’re on the same page,” Bakhtiari said Friday. “Trust is a big thing, and then, finally having an offseason of not having surgeries, the ability to let everything kind of calm down, settle in, train, put on muscle, protect the knee. I’m very grateful and thankful for where I’m at and I’m just excited to see what happens. Football is football, it’s not the healthiest thing in the world, so we’ll see when we get out there.”

Coach Matt LaFleur has allowed Bakhtiari to take time off during training camp, knowing the left tackle’s experience in the NFL affords the opportunity to protect his knee. Also, an offseason of focusing on football and not just rehab — while building up the supporting mechanisms around his knee — should give Bakhtiari a better chance to last the full season.

Bakhtiari, who tore his ACL on Dec. 31 of 2020 and then appeared in just one game in 2021, finally returned in a full-time capacity and played in 11 games last season. There were ups and downs during the nightmare recovery process, but the Packers left tackle is hopeful the worst is in the rear-view mirror. And now he can focus on playing his best football.

“I have expectations for myself and how I want to play, anytime I go out there I want to put my brand of ball out there,” Bakhtiari said. “Different year, but same goals apply to me.”

Bakhtiari allowed only 10 pressures and didn’t give up a sack in his 11 appearances last season, showing he can still play at an elite level when on the field. A sixth All-Pro team — and another step closer to the Pro Football Hall of Fame — could be within reach if he’s available for all 17 games for Jordan Love and the Packers in 2023.

How’s that sound?

“Yeah, that’d be fun,” Bakhtiari said.

Packers keeping modified practice schedule for LT David Bakhtiari during training camp

The Packers will keep a modified practice schedule for All-Pro left tackle David Bakhtiari during training camp.

David Bakhtiari is hopeful his knee issues are a thing of the past, but the Green Bay Packers are sticking with a modified practice schedule for the All-Pro left tackle during training camp.

Coach Matt LaFleur confirmed the Packers will give Bakhtiari time off as needed during training camp.

“He’ll definitely be modified, quite a bit,” LaFleur said. “It will be fluid. Just the communication with him, the medical staff, myself, the coaches. We know what type of player he is, he’s proved himself. Any time you have a veteran player with that much experience, then you’re willing to do that. You want the best for David, because when he’s out there and playing, we’re a better football team. It’s going to be fluid.”

LaFleur said the Packers have four practices this week, and he wouldn’t anticipate Bakhtiari doing much of anything during the team’s second practice on Thursday.

Bakhtiari tore his ACL and suffered other knee damage on Dec. 31, 2020, which kicked off a nightmare recovery stretch that featured three different surgeries. He finally returned last season and played in 11 games, but the knee occasionally popped up as a problem.

With a modified practice schedule, the Packers hope to keep stress off the knee and give Bakhtiari the best chance possible of playing in every game in 2023.

Per PFF, Bakhtiari gave up only 10 pressures (zero sacks) over 597 total snaps last season. He allowed one or fewer pressures in nine of 11 games.

If healthy, Bakhtiari could team up with Pro Bowler Elgton Jenkins to give the Packers the best left tackle-left guard combo in football in 2023.

The Packers open training camp with a practice at Ray Nitschke Field on Wednesday.

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The NFL’s 11 best offensive tackles

From Christian Darrisaw to Trent Williams, here’s Doug Farrar’s list of the 11 best offensive tackles in the NFL today.

Offensive tackles have generally been the rock stars of every offensive line through time, and that’s no different in 2023, though the requirements for the positions (right and left tackle) have changed in recent years.

We are no longer in the era of football where quarterbacks are taking seven-step drops, slinging it downfield no matter what, and going to the Pro Bowl with 50% completion rates, and more interceptions than touchdowns. Efficiency matters, and so does quick passing — especially as the run-pass option has become a schematic staple at the NFL level.

Modern tackles have to do a lot of things well to be great, and with the advent of multiple fronts, the difference between right and left tackle has blurred to a large degree. No longer is your left tackle automatically the perfect athlete, while the guy on the right is just good enough to get by. Not in an ideal offensive line, by any means.

So, to make this year’s list of the NFL’s 11 best offensive tackles, you’d best meet the following criteria:

  • Expert pass-blocking in every kind of set — from the quick set to the full vertical dropback.
  • A nearly-full array of techniques to keep defensive linemen at bay.
  • The ability to stone those defensive linemen in the run game; and
  • The acumen to pick up stunts and overload fronts.

In a recent episode of “The Xs and Os with Greg Cosell and Doug Farrar,” we went deeper into the requirements for every offensive line position, including and especially those fine gentlemen who protect the edges.

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Tape was a huge part of the deciding process here, as well as all kinds of advanced metrics. Along with sacks and pressures allowed, we also used Pro Football Focus’ “True Pass Sets” metric to further delineate offensive tackle performance. Per PFF, True Pass Sets exclude plays with less than four rushers, play-action, screen passes, short dropbacks and time-to-throws under two seconds.

Our list of the NFL’s 11 best offensive tackles is a continuation of our lists for every position, leading up to August’s list of the 101 best players in the NFL today.

The NFL’s top 11 interior defensive linemen
The NFL’s top 11 edge defenders
The NFL’s top 11 linebackers
The NFL’s top 11 slot defenders
The NFL’s top 11 cornerbacks
The NFL’s top 11 safeties

Without further ado, here are the 11 best offensive tackles in the NFL as we head into the 2023 season.

(All advanced metrics courtesy of Pro Football Focus and Sports Info Solutions unless otherwise indicated). 

Despite progress, turf fields still potential obstacle for Packers LT David Bakhtiari in 2023

David Bakhtiari and the Packers will play five road games on artificial playing surfaces during the 2023 season.

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Stating the obvious, a healthy David Bakhtiari would do wonders for the Green Bay Packers offense and first-year starting quarterback Jordan Love this season. Unfortunately, turf fields have been an obstacle for the left tackle’s surgically-repaired knee, and the Packers play five of their nine road games on artificial grass in 2023.

Here are the five games and the type of turf:

Week 2 at Atlanta Falcons: Mercedes-Benz Superdome, FieldTurf CORE
Week 12 at Detroit Lions: Ford Field, FieldTurf CORE
Week 14 at New York Giants: MetLife Stadium, FieldTurf CORE
Week 16 at Carolina Panthers: Bank of America Stadium, FieldTurf
Week 17 at Minnesota Vikings: U.S. Bank Stadium, UBU Speed Series S5-M

Turf fields have been a topic of debate for more than a decade among NFL Players who believe they are less safe than natural grass. Bakhtiari is among those strongly opposed to playing on artificial fields, especially after experiencing some discomfort in his surgically-repaired knee during a game on turf last season. In Week 9 against the Detroit Lions, he missed most of the second half when the slit film turf caused his knee to flare up.

In the same game, Green Bay’s top edge rusher Rashan Gary tore his ACL, forcing him to miss the rest of the season. A week later, Bakhtiari took to Twitter to express his disapproval of NFL teams who still have turf fields.

Currently, 16 teams play on natural grass, while the remaining 14 play on turf.

“We know we play a sport that you’re going to get beat up. We all know what we sign up for,” Bakhtiari said in April on a discussion panel partnered with The Players’ Tribune and Pennington Lawn. “Being in the trenches, we’re in contact every play. Why add that extra bit of playing surfaces that are gonna further the injury rate or add to the injuries that are already going to come?”

Bakhtiari’s beef with turf clearly hits on a personal level, but he’s far from the only one who has been outspoken about it. In November of last season, NFLPA president JC Tretter penned a letter and cited data to suggest the injury rate was lower on natural grass, writing, “Injuries on slit film are completely avoidable.”

Slit film turf is still used on four playing surfaces in the NFL, with one being a division rival in the Vikings. It’s worth noting Bakhtiari did not suit up for the season opener last year in Minnesota.

When Tretter brought up artificial playing surfaces again in April (via ESPN), the NFL’s executive vice president of communications, public affairs, and safety, Jeff Miller, said in a statement that “there are no simple answers” and “some artificial turf surfaces have a lower injury rate than some grass fields — and some grass fields have a lower injury rate than some artificial surfaces.”

Fortunately, some teams have taken it upon themselves to make their playing surfaces safer. Since the end of last season, the Lions have done away with the slit film turf that affected Bakhtiari’s knee. Another one of Green Bay’s 2023 opponents, the Giants, also got rid of their slit film turf in favor of a new synthetic turf that they believe will decrease the number of injuries.

It’s a start, but turf fields could still present an enormous challenge for Bakhtiari. Coming off a season in which he missed six games, his knee remains a question mark, though he did sound optimistic during OTAs.

“I really like how I’m feeling,” he said while pointing out that this was his first surgery-free offseason in two years.

A healthy Bakhtiari would provide the Packers’ offensive line with a level of stability that was lacking in 2022. Injuries hit that unit hard last season, but Bakhtiari did show signs of his former All-Pro self by not allowing a single sack, according to Pro Football Focus.

In preparation for a grueling 17-game season, Green Bay hopes that more rest days will help preserve their premier left tackle. It may also be worth it to rotate snaps on turf surfaces like they did when the team traveled to London.

How the Packers approach Bakhtiari’s situation could directly impact their success in 2023. Even at 31 years of age, he can still play at a high level, but they need him to be on the field as much as possible. Ultimately, that may come down to how his knee holds up on turf.

Elgton Jenkins on playing next to David Bakhtiari: ‘We want to be the best left side in the NFL’

When healthy and playing on the left side in 2022, Elgton Jenkins and David Bakhtiari were a dominant duo.

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Green Bay Packers left guard Elgton Jenkins wants to team up with left tackle David Bakhtiari to create the best left side of the offensive line in the National Football League.

“Just talking to Dave yesterday, talking about how we want to be the best left side in the NFL. Just us being able to play together, build on what we were building on, that’s going to be key,” Jenkins said Wednesday.

Both are healthy to start the 2023 season after dealing with significant knee injuries in 2021 and 2022.

Having Jenkins and Bakhtiari both available on the left side could be huge for a team transitioning to Jordan Love at quarterback and with young players at receiver and tight end.

“It’s going to play a big part of us as a team moving forward,” Jenkins said.

Jenkins returned to the left side after beginning the 2022 season as the starting right tackle. After moving back to guard, where he was an All-Pro in 2020, Jenkins returned to form and had dominant stretches to end the season.

Bakhtiari gave up only 10 pressures in 11 games at left tackle. Jenkins allowed only five total pressures over the final 10 games after switching to left guard. During the first five at right tackle, he gave up 12.

It sounds like left guard will be his permanent home for 2023.

“It’s going to be fun, just being able to have a whole season, whole camp working at one position, just perfecting my craft,” Jenkins said. “I’m expecting big things from myself.”

Packers LT David Bakhtiari doubles down on rebuild comments

The word “rebuild” means different things to different players inside the Packers locker room.

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The question of whether or not the Green Bay Packers are rebuilding varies depending on who you talk to in the locker room.

Last week, running back Aaron Jones said “You’ve got the wrong team, the wrong place” if you think the Packers are rebuilding. This week, left tackle David Bakhtiari said it’s disrespectful to call it anything else after losing a player like Aaron Rodgers.

“To me, flat out how I look at it, it’s disrespectful to say you’re not rebuilding off of a Hall of Fame quarterback,” Bakhtiari said after OTAs on Wednesday. “It was disrespectful to say you weren’t rebuilding off of Brett Favre when you moved to Aaron. No one knew who Aaron was going to be, so I’m not going to sit here and pull back those words because that is, when you look at how it’s been building, how we were chasing after it and the cap – there was a bunch of situations that can definitely allude to it – we have a young team.”

Bakhtiari essentially doubled down on what he said during an appearance on the “Bussin’ With The Boys” podcast in April.

“The Packers are rebuilding, whether you think so or not.”

“Could they be good? I don’t know,” he continued. “Could they be bad? Probably, if you’re betting, more people are going to think they’re going to be bad than good. Isn’t that fair to say?”

Naturally, the rebuild remarks got a rise out of the fanbase, but his referring to the Packers as “they” instead of “we” also warranted a strong reaction.

Bakhtiari didn’t think much of it. As one might say, he enjoys stirring the pot. He’s not distancing himself from the team now that he is back in Green Bay after missing the first round of OTAs. And even though the public may have a lot to say about his comments, he hasn’t caught any grief from his teammates.

“It was exactly what it was. I haven’t heard anything inside this locker room. No one’s had an issue. Again, you can take it and cut it which any way you want. I have fun with it. I think it’s fun at this point to see where things can lead.”

Speaking of where things can lead, that is the best part of all the rebuild talk, according to Bakhtiari. The Packers are venturing into the unknown with Jordan Love taking over as the starting quarterback, but until Week 1, everyone is batting a 1.000.

“That’s the beauty of it. That’s what football is,” he said.

Packers restructure contract of LT David Bakhtiari, create more cap space in 2023

The Packers restructured the contract of left tackle David Bakhtiari to create salary cap relief in 2023.

The Green Bay Packers restructured the contract of left tackle David Bakhtiari to create $7.5 million in salary cap relief in 2023, according to Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.

The Packers converted his $9.5 million roster bonus and another $5.5 million of base salary into a signing bonus to create the savings in 2023.

Bakhtiari’s cap number before the restructure was $28,789,035.

Per Bill Huber of SI.com, the restructure did not add void years to the deal.

Without void years, the restructure will save the Packers around $7.5 million on the salary cap and drop Bakhtiari’s cap number to roughly $21.3 million in 2023. The Packers will be sitting at roughly $24 million in available cap space entering the start of the new league year next week, per Over the Cap.

Despite missing all but one game in 2021 after a suffering a significant knee injury to end 2020, Bakhtiari finally returned to the field in 2022 and once again looked like an elite left tackle. He gave up 10 total pressures and zero sacks over 11 games, per PFF.

The Packers, with another restructure of his deal, are banking on Bakhtiari playing at a high level for at least two more seasons. His cap number rises over $40 million for the 2024 season.

Bakhtiari, who turns 32 in September, is under contract through 2024.

The Packers have restructured the contracts of Bakhtiari, running back Aaron Jones, cornerback Jaire Alexander, outside linebacker Preston Smith and defensive lineman Kenny Clark this offseason, creating over $40 million in salary cap relief.

Packers Wire will have more on the Bakhtiari restructure and the salary cap impact when the numbers are available.

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Packers working on restructuring contract of LT David Bakhtiari

Packers GM Brian Gutekunst is working on restructuring the deal of LT David Bakhtiari, which would lower his cap hit in 2023 and ensure he’s in Green Bay for at least one more season.

A contract restructuring is in the works that will keep left tackle David Bakhtiari in Green Bay for the 2023 season, according to Tom Silverstein of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.

Packers general manager Brian Gutekunst relayed the news while meeting with Silverstein and the local Green Bay media in Indianapolis before his scheduled media appearance at the NFL Scouting Combine.

Bakhtiari’s contract runs through the 2024 season and includes a $9.5 million roster bonus in 2023. The Packers could convert the roster bonus and some of his base salary into a signing bonus, add void years to the deal and drastically lower his cap hit in 2023.

As it stands currently, Bakhtiari’s cap hit this year is over $28 million.

A restructuring would guarantee Bakhtiari is back in Green Bay at a lower cap hit in 2023 but would push cap dollars into the future, potentially creating a massive dead cap hit when his deal ends in 2024.

The Packers have already restructured the contracts of running back Aaron Jones, cornerback Jaire Alexander and outside linebacker Preston Smith. Bakhtiari could be next, and Kenny Clark is also likely to happen.

Bakhtiari returned from his “nightmare” recovery from three knee surgeries and played at a high level over 11 games in 2022. The Packers believe the knee issues are a thing of the past with Bakhtiari, a five-time All-Pro who missed all but one game during the 2021 season a Brian Gutekunst after suffering the significant knee injury on Dec. 31 of 2020.

According to Pro Football Focus, Bakhtiari allowed 10 pressures (zero sacks) and committed five penalties over 597 total snaps in 2022.

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Terron Armstead, David Bakhtiari call it: Texans LT Laremy Tunsil was an All-Pro snub

Houston Texans LT Laremy Tunsil had Terron Armstead and David Bakhtiari defending him after he was snubbed from the All-Pro team.

It isn’t common that an NFL offensive lineman gets protection.

However, Houston Texans left tackle Laremy Tunsil is not like most offensive linemen. The three-time Pro Bowler played all 17 games protecting the blindside for Texans quarterbacks throughout 2022 and opened up running lanes for rookie Dameon Pierce, who tallied 939 through 13 games before being shelved with an ankle injury sustained in Week 14.

San Francisco 49ers left tackle Trent Williams earned the first-team spot, and New York Giants left tackle Andrew Thomas earned the second-team slot.

“The fact that @KingTunsil78 wasn’t an #AllPro this year is deceitful to the masses,” Green Bay Packers tackle David Bakhtiari tweeted. “The guy was more than deserving of the accolade.”

Miami Dolphins tackle Terron Armstead quote-tweeted Bakhtiari’s statement and added one of his own.

“Completely agree! @KingTunsil78 was incredible all year! The Standard,” Armstead punctuated with a light blue heart.

Making the All-Pro team was one of the honors that Tunsil had in his sights even after making the Pro Bowl team. Nevertheless the former Dolphins 2016 first-round pick has sizable leverage to work with the Texans on an extension in the 2023 offseason.

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Packers GM on keeping LT David Bakhtiari in 2023: ‘I would hope so’

Packers GM Brian Gutekunst wants LT David Bakhtiari back in 2023.

While the epicenter of another Green Bay Packers’ offseason is Aaron Rodgers, general manager Brian Gutekunst must make difficult decisions on several other important players.

When it comes to David Bakhtiari’s future with the team, the decision appears to have already been made.

“I would hope so,” Gutekunst answered when asked if Bakhtiari will be the Packers’ left tackle in 2023.

Gutekunst’s affirmative answer aligns with Matt LaFleur’s desire to have Bakhtiari back next season.

The five-time All-Pro is under contract in 2023, but Bakhtiari’s cap hit balloons from $13.8 million in 2022 to $28.9 million in 2023. He also turns 32 years old in September, and three surgeries completed in 18 months on his knee provide an obvious injury red flag.

But Gutekunst and the Packers are feeling more and more confident about his long-term availability.

“I think we’re hopeful that he’s kind of cleared some of those injury hurdles that he had the last few years,” Gutekunst said. “He got into a really good rhythm of learning what he needed to practice to get to the games, and I’m hopeful as we get beyond this season that rhythm will serve him well as we go forward.”

There’s little doubt that Bakhtiari can still play at an elite level; he gave up just 10 total pressures (zero sacks) over 11 games in 2022.

The Packers were 4-7 and averaged 21.5 points per game in games Bakhtiari started.

If Bakhtiari stays, the Packers will almost certainly have to adjust his contract in some way to help alleviate stress on the cap in 2023.

Bakhtiari has a $9.5 million roster bonus that could be turned into a signing bonus – and prorated over the rest of the contract, possibly with void years tacked on – to help save money next year. The Packers asking for some kind of pay cut is another possible avenue, although there’s always risk in hurting a relationship with a player.

Cutting Bakhtiari and saving the money on the cap this year without future cap strain is an option, especially given the emergence of rookie Zach Tom as a viable left tackle in 2022. The Packers don’t appear to be considering it to open the offseason.

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