Packers Make Final Call on David Bakhtiari & Elgton Jenkins

Bakhtiari Jenkins Week 1

Getty David Bakhtiari and Elgton Jenkins have both been ruled out for Week 1's opener at the Vikings.

The Green Bay Packers are going to be kicking off the 2022 NFL season without both of their top offensive linemen.

According to Ian Rapoport and Tom Pelissero of NFL Network, the Packers are not expected to have All-Pro left tackle David Bakhtiari and Pro Bowl offensive lineman Elgton Jenkins available for Week 1’s opener against the Minnesota Vikings. Both had been listed as questionable on the final injury report for the matchup.

The Packers are also expected to be without starting wide receiver Allen Lazard, who was listed as doubtful for the game after getting his ankle stepped in practice prior to Week 1. They had called up Juwann Winfree from the practice squad on Saturday, indicating they were prepared to play without Lazard against the Vikings.

Bakhtiari has spent more than 20 months recovering from a complicated knee injury that originally started when he tore his ACL in practice on New Year’s Eve in 2020. The five-time All-Pro missed every game of the 2021 season except for their regular-season finale against the Detroit Lions, but he only played the first half before getting shut down and was not active for their lone playoff game a few weeks later.

As for Jenkins, the 2020 Pro Bowler is also working back from a torn ACL that he sustained last season in Week 11’s matchup with the Vikings. He was activated from the physically unable to perform (PUP) list on August 14 and has been building to full strength in practice, but the Packers are likely wanting to be cautious with one of their best young players — especially after preparing a replacement crew for their O-line.


Bakhtiari Already Unlikely to Play vs. Bears in Week 2

To make matters worse for Bakhtiari, Ryan Wood of the Green Bay Press-Gazette added that he has been told by a source that the Packers are also unlikely to play their 30-year-old blindside blocker in next week’s home opener against the Chicago Bears, “knowing there is no need to rush him back early in the season.”

That means, for the foreseeable future, that Yosh Nijman will be the Packers’ starting left tackle. Nijman started eight games on the blindside during the 2021 season, making his NFL starting debut against Nick Bosa and more than holding his own. By the end of the season, he had taken 589 total snaps at left tackle and allowed just three sacks — two of which came in the same rough performance.

Wood also tweeted that he wouldn’t be surprised if the Packers took the same approach with Jenkins and rested him for their second game against the Bears.


Packers’ Replacements Have Gotten Quality Reps

The Packers are in a far-from-ideal situation with Bakhtiari after waiting so long for him to get back to full health, but the good news is the replacement crew on their offensive line has gotten ample time to work together throughout the summer and will now get to put their hard work to the test in Week 1 against the Vikings.

While the Packers could change it up before kickoff, it seems likely they will roll with the alignment of Nijman (LT), Jon Runyan Jr. (RG), Josh Myers (C), Royce Newman (RG) and rookie Zach Tom (RT) as their starting offensive line on Sunday. There is a bit of room for movement on the right side, though, as Jake Hanson could push for the right guard spot and Tom and Newman could be interchangeable. Either way, it’s a collection of six offensive linemen who spent the majority of training camp building chemistry together — and with quarterback Aaron Rodgers.

Whether it will hold up against the Vikings’ pass rusher, though, remains to be seen.

Read More
,