Packer Central

Packers-Vikings Inactives: Bakhtiari, Jenkins, Lazard Out

The Green Bay Packers will not have their two offensive tackles to block Za’Darius Smith and Danielle Hunter on Sunday at the Vikings.

Bill Huber

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MINNEAPOLIS – The Green Bay Packers’ best offensive linemen, David Bakhtiari and Elgton Jenkins, and receiver Allen Lazard are inactive for Sunday’s season-opening showdown at the Minnesota Vikings.

Without their bookend offensive tackles, the Packers probably will go with their No. 1 line during the preseason: Yosh Nijman at left tackle, Jon Runyan at left guard, Josh Myers at center, Jake Hanson at right guard and Royce Newman at right tackle.

Those three played a lot in the preseason and did OK. But they didn’t have to block anyone with the talent and experience of Vikings outside linebackers Za’Darius Smith and Danielle Hunter or defensive tackle Dalvin Tomlinson. Smith, the ticked-off former Packers star, had 26 sacks in 2019 and 2020. Hunter had 29 sacks in 2018 and 2019 and six in just seven games in 2021.

Bakhtiari suffered a torn ACL at practice 619 days ago. To this date, his only game action came in Week 18 of last season at Detroit. Bakhtiari was inactive for the playoffs and had a third surgery after the season. Activated off the PUP list on Aug. 21, Bakhtiari practiced on Wednesday and Thursday this week but not Friday.

Nijman played well in eight starts last season.

“Yosh played a lot of ball for us last year at left tackle and did a nice job. I can’t say I’m worried about Yosh,” quarterback Aaron Rodgers said.

Jenkins suffered a torn ACL at Minnesota in November of last season. He was activated off PUP on Aug. 14 and practiced as limited participation all week.

Newman, who started 16 games at right guard as a rookie last season, will make his first start at right tackle since his senior season at Ole Miss in 2020.

“I know this: I know the game’s not too big for him,” coach Matt LaFleur said. “I know he’s going to go out there and battle, whether it’s at guard or tackle, and we’ve got a lot of confidence in him.”

RELATED STORY: Who will block Smith? Hunter?

With Newman bouncing out to tackle, Hanson will make his first NFL start at right guard. A sixth-round pick in 2020, his regular-season experience consists of five snaps at left guard and one snap of center.

“I think he’s really just grown and been a lot more physical,” offensive coordinator Adam Stenavich said. “He’s excelled in the run game, and then pass protection was kind of a thing that he always needed to work on. I think he’s really taken that to heart the last year or so, and it’s really improved a lot. I’m excited about him.”

What happens if one of the starters go down? The lone backups are draft picks Sean Rhyan (third round), Zach Tom (fourth round) and Rasheed Walker (seventh round). Only Tom looked ready to contribute during training camp.

Lazard didn’t practice all week and was listed as doubtful for Sunday. That’s why the Packers elevated Juwann Winfree from the practice squad on Saturday. Cornerback Shemar Jean-Charles and seventh-round draft picks Samori Toure, Tariq Carpenter and Jonathan Ford are the other inactives.

For the Vikings, only first-round safety Lewis Cine (knee) is noteworthy among the inactives.

Packers-Vikings Inactives

Packers: LT David Bakhtiari (knee), RT Elgton Jenkins (knee/pectoral), WR Allen Lazard (ankle), WR Samori Toure, CB Shemar Jean-Charles, S Tariq Carpenter, DT Jonathan Ford.

Vikings:

S Lewis Cine (knee), RB Ty Chandler, OLB Luiji Vilain, G/C Chris Reed, OT Vederian Lowe, DL Esezi Otomewo.

Related Story: Will Packers Win Super Bowl?

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Bill Huber
BILL HUBER

Bill Huber, who has covered the Green Bay Packers since 2008, is the publisher of Packers On SI, a Sports Illustrated channel. E-mail: packwriter2002@yahoo.com History: Huber took over Packer Central in August 2019. Twitter: https://twitter.com/BillHuberNFL Background: Huber graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater, where he played on the football team, in 1995. He worked in newspapers in Reedsburg, Wisconsin Dells and Shawano before working at The Green Bay News-Chronicle and Green Bay Press-Gazette from 1998 through 2008. With The News-Chronicle, he won several awards for his commentaries and page design. In 2008, he took over as editor of Packer Report Magazine, which was founded by Hall of Fame linebacker Ray Nitschke, and PackerReport.com. In 2019, he took over the new Sports Illustrated site Packer Central, which he has grown into one of the largest sites in the Sports Illustrated Media Group.

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