After a long road to recovery from an ACL tear, Packers tackle David Bakhtiari is back on the practice field after being removed from Green Bay’s physically unable to perform (PUP) list, head coach Matt LaFleur announced Sunday.
After three surgeries on his left knee, the All-Pro left tackle will return to practice. After the initial ACL reconstruction, Bakhtiari underwent a second surgery to reduce knee swelling and a third unspecified surgery this offseason.
Bakhtiari, 30, appeared in just one game last season, taking 27 snaps in the regular-season finale against Green Bay in 2021. Detroit before closing again. Prior to that, he made three Pro Bowls (2016, 2019-20) in five years before suffering a torn ACL on December 31, 2020.
Lafleur did not offer a date for Bakhtiari’s return, saying he is ready to feature in the season opener against Minnesota undecided, but removing Bakhtiara from the PUP list makes him eligible to play on September 11th.
“He will work only individually [drills],” Lafleur said before practice. “So you guys can temper your expectations a little bit because I know there’s going to be a ton of questions now. It will be individual. It’s just the next step, but we’re excited to get him out on the grass. We’ll take it every day.”
“He’s developing really well and mentally I think he’s in a really good position as well. He’s worked his tail off for a long time to get to this point and so as far as making the decision, I got a text a little while ago that he was leaving, so I was really excited about that.”
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