Getty Left tackle Jonah Williams of the Cincinnati Bengals.
The Green Bay Packers started the season with arguably the NFL’s best offensive line, but injuries have changed all that.
David Bakhtiari is on the injured reserve list (IR) for at least the next three games with a recurring knee issue and may not be able to return at all this season, per a report from NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport and Tom Pelissero.
Bleacher Report’s NFL Staff suggested on Monday, October 2, that the Packers deal for disgruntled Cincinnati Bengals offensive lineman Jonah Williams to replace Bakhtiari for the rest of this year and possibly beyond.
Williams asked for a trade after the Bengals signed Orlando Brown Jr. in free agency, presumptively due to his desire to stay at left tackle. Now that David Bakhtiari has had surgery and is expected to be out for the remainder of the year, Williams may finally get his wish.
While Rasheed Walker was solid in his first two outings filling in for Bakhtiari, Walker struggled against Detroit, especially in pass protection, where Pro Football Focus (PFF) had him on the hook for two sacks. The Packers could use a proven veteran to protect Jordan Love’s blind side, and the four-year veteran would be an upgrade over the 2022 seventh-round pick.
Jonah Williams Offers Packers 2-Year Bandaid at Left Tackle
GettyOffensive tackle Jonah Williams of the Cincinnati Bengals sustains a cut above his eye during an NFL game against the Cleveland Browns in October 2020.
Williams is a far cry from a healthy Bakhtiari but could still provide a bandaid to the left side of a line that is also down guard Elgton Jenkins, who suffered a leg injury in Week 3 against the Atlanta Falcons.
The Bengals have started Williams on the right side this year, where he has surrendered 2 sacks on 246 snaps, per PFF. Williams surrendered 12 sacks and was whistled for four penalties across 1,101 snaps at left tackle in 2022. PFF ranks Williams as the 39th-best tackle in the NFL out of 71 players who qualify at the position through four games this season.
Williams isn’t cheap, but he’s nowhere near as pricey as Bakhtiari will be in 2024. The former No. 11 overall pick out of Alabama in 2019 is playing on the fourth year of his initial $17.6 million rookie contract. The Bengals exercised the fifth-year team option on Williams’ deal — a standard stipulation applying to the contracts of all first-round picks — which will pay the tackle $12.6 million in 2024.
Packers Can’t Afford to Keep David Bakhtiari on Roster in 2024
GettyGreen Bay Packers left tackle David Bakhtiari will be too costly to keep in 2024, especially given his recent history of injury problems.
Bakhtiari will also enter the final year of his $92 million deal next season and will carry a salary cap hit of nearly $40.5 million due to a contract restructure last offseason. Bakhtiari has missed 29 of the Packers’ last 42 regular season games and is certain to sit out at least the next 3, if not the entire campaign.
Green Bay can save nearly $21.5 million by parting ways with Bakhtiari over the summer and have reached a point in the five-time All-Pro’s career where not at least considering cutting or trading him is tantamount to professional malpractice.
Bakhtiari’s trade price would likely be low given all of his health concerns as well as his age — he will play next season at 33 years old. Even if the Packers can find a suitor, they would almost certainly be on the hook for a massive portion of Bakhtiari’s 2024 cap hit and would probably get only peanuts in return.
If Green Bay plans to move on from Bakhtiari next offseason, signing Williams as a stop-gap for the next two years makes sense. A new situation and another shot at left tackle alongside what has been a talented Packers’ offensive line when healthy could reinvigorate Williams’ career and render him a long-term option for Green Bay. He has played in and started 46 of a possible 54 regular season games since joining the Bengals.
If not, the team can look to deal Williams ahead of the 2024 trade deadline or cut ties with no financial penalty following that season.