Green Bay Packers offensive tackle David Bakhtiari revealed that he believes he will be able to return for Week 1.
The Green Bay Packers are set to begin their season on the road against the rival Minnesota Vikings. Green Bay’s offense will be must watch, considering how much the wide receiver depth chart has changed. Ahead of the big game, there may be some good news for quarterback Aaron Rodgers.
Ahead of the season-opening game, offensive tackle David Bakhtiari told ESPN’s Rob Demovsky he “believes it’s realistic to expect him to start against the Vikings.”
“Yeah, I mean, I’m on the active [roster] just like anyone else,” Bakhtiari said, h/t ESPN.
David Bakhtiari believes he will start for Packers in Week 1
At the end of the preseason, Packers head coach Matt LFleur said he had “no idea” if either Bakhtiari or Elgton Jenkins would be ready for the season-opener, citing that he needed to see them go through practice.
Demovsky notes that Bakhtiari had returned to 11-on-11 practices since the end of training camp.
Bakhtiari had been dealing with knee issues since the end of the 2020 season, where he tore the ACL in his left knee. He did return for one game in the 2021 campaign against the Detroit Lions, but was not activated for the team’s Divisional Round matchup against the San Francisco 49ers.
This offseason, Bakhtiari underwent a third surgery on his knee.
Having Bakhtiari on the field will be a plus for the offense, especially for Rodgers, who will be looking for Allen Lazard, Randall Cobb, Sammy Watkins, and rookie Christian Watson downfield. But, his status will be worth monitoring throughout the week to see if he will be ready to go against the Vikings.
