Packer Central

Packers-Washington Injury Report: Bakhtiari Returns

“It’s good having him back. He’s a stud. He’s a future Hall of Famer,” quarterback Aaron Rodgers said.

Bill Huber

GREEN BAY, Wis. – For the first time since tearing the ACL in his left knee on New Year’s Eve, All-Pro left tackle David Bakhtiari practiced for the Green Bay Packers.

“It’s good having him back. He’s a stud. He’s a future Hall of Famer,” quarterback Aaron Rodgers said.

The Packers have three weeks to either activate Bakhtiari to the roster or put him on season-ending injured reserve. He’s got rust to knock off after being out for almost 10 months and he’s got confidence to gain in his knee that can only be gained by doing football things on a football field, but Wednesday was a major milepost after months of rehab.

“He’s been putting in the work. You guys see him out there every day just grinding with Nate (Weir) over on the sidelines,” LaFleur said. “He’s been doing a great job in the weight room with Giz (Chris Gizzi) and he’s a pro’s pro. He’s always taking care of himself. I think he’s in pretty good shape.”

Bakhtiari’s return to the lineup – whenever that happens – would be good news for Rodgers. Better protection with Bakhtiari at left tackle and Elgton Jenkins presumably back at left guard not only would have Rodgers feeling better about standing in the pocket but it would allow coach Matt LaFleur to expand his playbook because he wouldn’t have to devote a running back or a tight end to help.

“He couldn’t keep his mouth shut today, which I guess is kind of normal, but it was good to have him out there in a helmet,” Rodgers said.

There’s also the emotional lift from getting back a respected team leader.

“It’s going to mean a lot,” receiver Davante Adams said. “He’s a captain basically for us. I’m not sure how the captain voting went, but had he been available to go the whole year, I’m pretty sure he would have been a captain. I know I voted for him. It will be huge having him back, leadership-wise (and), obviously, what he brings on the field as well.”

Since Bakhtiari isn’t officially on the roster, he’s not on the injury report. Three starters didn’t practice but cornerback Kevin King returned after missing the Chicago game with a shoulder injury. LaFleur called it an “above the shoulders” practice focused on mental work, so King’s status following the more demanding Thursday practice will be more telling.

Washington had six starters miss practice, including three-fifths of the offensive line, its top running back and best receiver.

Packers Injury Report

DNP: OT Dennis Kelly (back), C Josh Myers (knee), S Darnell Savage (concussion), OLB Preston Smith (oblique).

Limited: CB Kevin King (shoulder).

Full: WR Equanimeous St. Brown (shoulder).

Football Team Injury Report

DNP: RT Sam Cosmi (ankle), RB Antonio Gibson (shin), LT Charles Leno (rest), WR Terry McLaurin (hamstring), WR Curtis Samuel (groin), G Brandon Scherff (knee), TE Ricky Seals-Jones (quad), WR Cam Sims (hamstring).

Limited: DT Jonathan Allen (knee), WR Dyami Brown (knee), CB William Jackson III (knee).

Big Addition and Bakhtiari Video

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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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