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As former Green Bay Packers star David Bakhtiari remains a free agent, the biggest Super Bowl contender in the league could be an ideal landing spot for the left tackle.
Kristopher Knox with Bleacher Report laid out a few bargain-bin free agents still available around the league. He also mentioned some potential suitors for each team. Knox made the case for why the Kansas City Chiefs would be an ideal fit for Bakhtiari.
“Because Bakhtiari does have to prove himself again, he could become a massive free-agent bargain,” Knox wrote. “The Kansas City Chiefs should also be interested. Their Super Bowl window is wide open, but the Chiefs do have questions at tackle after not re-signing Donovan Smith this offseason.”
As far as opportunities for Bakhtiari, there may not be a better one for the left tackle than the Chiefs.
David Bakhtiari’s Injury Timeline
Knee injuries are typically pretty routine, but that’s been far from the case for Bakhtiari.
Bakhtiari suffered a torn ACL during practice in late December of 2020. The injury prevented him from helping the Packers make a Super Bowl run, but there was hope that he’d return in time for a playoff push the following year.
Although he returned for a Week 18 game against the Detroit Lions, Bakhtiari wasn’t able to give it a go again in the playoffs. Another offseason surgery helped him find the field once again in Week 3 of the 2022 season.
Bakhtiari ended up playing 11 games that season, although he split reps with Yosh Nijman during some of those contests. He appeared almost fully recovered, missing most of his time due to an emergency appendectomy.
The Packers even had Bakhtiari starting in Week 1 of last season against the Chicago Bears. However, another surgery on the knee shut Bakhtiari’s season down after playing just one game.
Fortunately for Bakhtiari, he appears ready to go for 2024. The former Packers offensive tackle even expressed his interest to play for several more seasons before retiring.
As long as his knee can hold up, there’s no reason to believe why Bakhtiari couldn’t keep playing for a bit longer.
Green Bay’s New Plan at Left Tackle
It’s unclear what the exact plan is to replace Bakhtiari, but at least the Packers have options.
Rasheed Walker filled in admirably after not expecting to start this past season. He played in all 17 games, starting 15 of them. While he took his lumps earlier in the year, he hit his stride by the playoffs, even looking like a lockdown left tackle in pass protection against the San Francisco 49ers.
Walker will be the favorite to start at left tackle. However, the Packers also took a college left tackle in Jordan Morgan in the first round of this year’s draft. Morgan could play all over the offensive line, but a strong training camp could help him earn a starting spot to protect Jordan Love’s blindside.
The Packers seem interested in getting Morgan some experience all over the offensive line. He’s even taken some time to get reps at left guard during offseason workouts.
Unless things change drastically in training camp, expect Walker to hold down the left tackle spot, with Morgan getting an opportunity to start at another position.
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