Despite missing big chunks of the last two seasons, Green Bay Packers left tackle David Bakhtiari still looks like one of the NFL’s elite offensive linemen.
Bakhtiari, who missed all but one regular season game in 2021 due to a major knee injury, returned this year and has played in 10 total games, although he had an unexpected absence in Washington and then a three-game break due to an emergency appendectomy. It hasn’t always been smooth sailing in terms of availability, but when on the field, the Bakhtiari of 2022 has looked a lot like the Bakhtiari of old, who was a five-time All-Pro.
According to Pro Football Focus, Bakhtiari has allowed nothing more than nine total pressures over 306 pass-blocking snaps and 537 total snaps at left tackle. All nine pressures have been hurries; no quarterback hits, no sacks.
Once twice has Bakhtiari allowed more than one pressure in a game, and he pitched shutouts against the Buffalo Bills, Dallas Cowboys and Philadelphia Eagles, three teams with excellent fronts and edge rushers.
Even after coming back from appendectomy surgery, Bakhtiari allowed just a single pressure despite facing Za’Darius Smith and Danielle Hunter of the Vikings last week.
His dominance as a pass-blocking left tackle is ever-lasting.
Among all NFL offensive tackles with at least 200 pass-blocking snaps this season, Bakhtiari ranks third in pass-blocking efficiency, which “measures pressure allowed on a per-snap basis with weighting toward sacks allowed,” per PFF. He trails only Lane Johnson and Tristan Wirfs, two All-Pro players.
Over a seven-year stretch before his injury, Bakhtiari was firmly established as one of the top 3-4 offensive linemen in football, in large part due to his unrivaled ability and consistency as a pass-blocker on the blindside for Aaron Rodgers. His catastrophic knee injury put on hold what was looking like a Hall of Fame career, and his absence cost the Packers dearly during two playoff runs. But now Bakhtiari is back, and he’s once again playing like one of the NFL’s very best.
The questions about the future are many. Can Bakhtiari keep his knee healthy long-term? Will he be back in Green Bay in 2023 given his contract situation? And how many more elite seasons does he truly need before he’s actually a legitimate Hall of Fame candidate?
A long playoff run wouldn’t hurt. Bakhtiari and the Packers face the Detroit Lions on Sunday night with a chance to clinch a playoff spot with a win. Maybe having Bakhtiari available on the left side of the offensive line can fuel an unexpected run in Green Bay more than two years after his career-changing injury.
