The Green Bay Packers lost left tackle David Bahktiari to an ACL injury 598 days ago on December 31, 2020, and after a gruelling recovery process that included three surgeries on his left knee, the former All-Pro has been taken off the PUP list and is being eased back into Packers practice. It was a long road back for the former 5-time All-Pro, and while his return date hasn't been made clear yet, it's a big boost for a Packers team that needs all hands on board if they wish to make a deep playoff run in 2022.
By removing him from the PUP list today, the Packers have made him eligible for Week 1, whereas if they had of waited until final roster cuts, he wouldn't have been able to play until Week 5, so whether he plays or not in Week 1, the move today allows it to become a possibility.Packers’ OT David Bakhtiari is being removed from the PUP list today, per HC Matt LaFleur.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) August 21, 2022
"He's only going to do individual drills," LaFleur said before practice. "So you guys can kind of temper the expectations because I know there's going to be a bunch of questions now. It'll just be individual. It's just the next step, but we are excited to get him out there on the grass. We'll take it one day at a time." After such a long recovery process that included three surgeries, it makes sense that the Packers want to ease into this, because if they lose such an integral part of their offensive unit again, it may be bad news for their hopes, and for Bakhtiari himself.
Ultimately, this is great news for the Packers, and whether he's back in Week 1 or Week 3 or any other week, having him available for the long run is the key, as he is one of the leaders of this team, and when healthy, one of the best tackles in the NFL.
Photo Credit: Samantha Madar/USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin / USA TODAY NETWORK
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