#Packers All-Pro LT David Bakhtiari had arthroscopic surgery recently to clean up the knee that was reconstructed back in January, sources tell me and @mikegarafolo. Bakhtiari won’t practice or play again this week, but there’s optimism he’ll be back for the stretch run.
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) November 23, 2021
The mystery surrounding the absence of Green Bay Packers left tackle David Bakhtiari is becoming more clear.
According to Tom Pelissero and Mike Garafolo of NFL Network, Bakhtiari recently had arthroscopic surgery to clean up his surgically repaired knee, but the team remains optimistic that he’ll return in time to play this season.
The report of a knee scope helps shed light on why Bakhtiari went from practicing with the team starting on Oct. 20 to sitting out all practices over the past week.
Bakhtiari tore his ACL on Dec. 31 of last year and needed reconstructive surgery. He has missed all 11 games to start this season. He began the year on the PUP list but was activated to the 53-man roster on Nov. 11. He sat out games against the Seattle Seahawks and Minnesota Vikings over the last two weeks.
Packers coach Matt LaFleur said Bakhtiari will miss Sunday’s game against the Los Angeles Rams, but the team will re-evaluate the status of their All-Pro left tackle following the Week 13 bye.
“He won’t be out there this week. We’ll see where he’s at after the bye. We’re hopeful that he will be able to come back this year at some point,” LaFleur said.
The Packers need Bakhtiari back in the fold after losing Elgton Jenkins to a season-ending ACL tear on Sunday in Minnesota. While Bakhtiari recovers, backup Yosh Nijman will start at left tackle.
