Green Bay Packers place David Bakhtiari on IR due to knee injury

o d – live.staticflickr.com

The Green Bay Packers placed left tackle David Bakhtiari on the injured reserve (IR) list due to a knee injury on Thursday.

Bakhtiari will be sidelined for at least four games, starting with the matchup against the Detroit Lions last night. The earliest possible date for his return is November 5, when the Packers face the Los Angeles Rams.

ESPN’s Rob Demovsky highlighted that Bakhtiari’s injury can be traced back to a knee injury he suffered in practice on December 31, 2020. Since then, he has undergone three knee surgeries.

NFL Network Insiders Ian Rapoport and Tom Pelissero reported Thursday that it remained uncertain whether or when Bakhtiari might return this season. Rapoport also noted that Bakhtiari had a knee scope on Wednesday, which could lead to more extensive surgery.

Despite these setbacks, the five-time All-Pro said earlier this month that he hadn’t seriously considered retirement. He explained that it was difficult for him to consider retirement, especially when he performed exceptionally well despite facing disadvantages.

“I mean, I’m going to get fined for this one, but I just enjoy it too much and I’m too f***ing good at it. It’s just tough for me to,” Bakhtiari said.

“At least if I was bad, I’d maybe entertain it a little more, but that’s the part that’s tough, when I know I’m still good and at a disadvantage.”

Bakhtiari started in the Packers’ season opener against the Chicago Bears. However, leading up to Week 4, he had already missed 28 out of 53 regular-season games since the 2020 season when he tore his ACL on New Year’s Eve. He played just one game during the 2021 regular season and did not participate in Green Bay’s playoff game that year.

Packers’ roster without Bakhtiari

Rasheed Walker stepped in as the left tackle for Bakhtiari in the last two games, and Yosh Nijman also played as a third tackle this season.

In other roster moves, the Packers have promoted linebacker Kristian Welch from the practice squad to the active roster. Furthermore, they have called up cornerbacks Corey Ballentine and Kiondre Thomas from the practice squad, given the questionable status of cornerbacks Jaire Alexander (back) and Carrington Valentine (biceps).