It’s official: Green Bay Packers left tackle David Bakhtiari will play for the first time since suffering a torn ACL in practice over a year ago.
Bakhtiari, the five-time All-Pro, is active for the Packers on Sunday against the Detroit Lions.
Having No. 69 back on the field has been a long time coming for the Packers.
He tore his ACL during practice on Dec. 31, 2020. Bakhtiari’s return comes after missing 17 regular-season games and two playoff games over the last two seasons. He dealt with a few setbacks along the way this season but is finally ready to get on the field.
The timing isn’t terrible. Bakhtiari will play Sunday in the season finale with hopes of shaking off some rust and preparing to perform at a high level for the Packers at left tackle in the postseason.
Green Bay has the No. 1 seed and a first-round bye in the postseason.
The Packers played Elgton Jenkins at left tackle for eight games and Yosh Nijman at left tackle for eight other games. Jenkins tore his ACL in November and is out for the season, but Nijman did a quality job as a fill-in.
