Snipping: Three-time 3x Pro Bowl left tackle who has made five All-Pro Teams is set to be cut by the Green Bay Packers soon…..

It appears that David Bakhtiari’s time with the Green Bay Packers is coming to an end. The three-time Pro Bowl left tackle, who has also made five All-Pro teams (two First Team All-Pros and three Second Team All-Pros) has missed the majority of the last three seasons due to knee injuries. Note: that is the plural form of the word “injury.”

Bakhtiari first injured his knee in a non-contact drill during practice on December 31, 2020. He suffered a torn ACL that cost him the entire 2021 season, except for playing a few snaps in the season finale against the Detroit Lions. Despite returning for that game, he did not play in any of Green Bay’s playoff games that year.

In 2022, Bakhtiari played in 11 out of 17 games to help protect his knee. Leading up to and during the season, more information was provided on why his recovery took so long. Following the initial surgery to repair his ACL, Bakhtiari require several more procedures to drain fluid.

This past season, Bakhtiari played in the Packers’ season opener against the Chicago Bears, and played extremely well. Unfortunately, his knee was injured again and required several more procedures to fix. He missed the remainder of the year. And now, it appears that the Chicago game will end up being his last in a Packers uniform.

The Green Bay Packers Are Expected to Cut David Bakhtiari

According to a report by Nick Spano of uStadium:

“The longest tenured Green Bay Packer, LT David Bakhtiari‘s time with the Packers is nearing the end. The 2013 4th-round pick is expected to be released in the coming weeks.

“Bakhtiari had an incredible career for the Pack, collecting 2 First-Team All-Pro’s (2018, 2020), 3 Second-Team All-Pro’s (2016, 2017, 2019) and 3 Pro Bowl’s (2016, 2019, 2020) but has missed 45 games since a knee injury sustained in a late-season practice in 2020 sidetracked the All-Pro’s career.

“That injury has since led to five surgeries on the same knee. He was on the field for one game last season. The release is said to be a “matter a formality” according to The Athletic’s Matt Schneidman The same was echoed by Green Bay Press Gazette’s Ryan Wood.

“The Packers can save nearly $21MM by cutting the 11-year veteran. He is set to count a team-high $40MM against the Packers’ cap this year. One season remains on Bakhtiari’s contract. None of his remaining salary is guaranteed, though the Packers have more than $19MM in deferred signing bonus set to represent dead money when the cut is made.”

Spano notes that it is more than likely that Bakhtiari would sign a heavily incentivized deal with the New York Jets to reunite with Aaron Rodgers.

The Green Bay Packers’ Future at Left Tackle

The Packers played Rasheed Walker at left tackle for the majority of the season in 2023. There were bumps in the road early on, and Yosh Nijman would sometimes play left tackle for a series or two before Walker was subbed back in. However, Nijman is an unrestricted free agent this season and could probably get more money (and playing time) if he signed elsewhere.

Of course, Walker is going to be in the mix for whatever competition the Packers have at left tackle. By season’s end, he had figured it out and was playing as well as anyone could have asked, at least in pass protection. His run blocking still left a bit to be desired.

The Packers did not take any offensive linemen in the 2023 NFL Draft after taking three in 2021 and 2022. It is highly likely that Brian Gutekunst will once again draft multiple offensive linemen with the amount of players the Packers will lose. Any one of those rookies could compete for a starting job at left tackle as well.

There is a possibility that Zach Tom, who was the Packers’ best overall offensive lineman last season, could move from right tackle to left tackle if need be. However, he played so well at right tackle that the Packers likely want to keep him there.