Just 153 days ago, Green Bay Packers star left tackle David Bakhtiari was lost for the rest of the season after tearing his ACL.
Having suffered a significant injury so late in the year, it understandably puts his status for the start of the 2021 season in doubt. However, Bakhtiari appears to be moving around great only five months removed from the injury.
Reporters from Packers practice on Wednesday were impressed when watching Bakhtiari.
David Bakhtiari isn’t practicing but just ran past us like a stallion #Packers
— Wes Hodkiewicz (@WesHod) June 2, 2021
This video from The Athletic’s Matt Schneidman shows Bakhtiari moving well. While he wasn’t practicing and I’m far from a medical expert, this sure looks like a good sign for the Packers’ All-Pro left tackle.
First-team All-Pro LT David Bakhtiari tore his ACL on Dec. 31. Here he is today. pic.twitter.com/mXzEvYPTuL
— Matt Schneidman (@mattschneidman) June 2, 2021
Cheesehead TV’s Andy Herman even noted that it would be easy to forget he’d torn his ACL.
Biggest note of the day and not sure anything will beat it - Bakhtiari looks phenomenal moving around. You’d have no idea he tore his ACL late last year.
— Andy Herman (@AndyHermanNFL) June 2, 2021
We should probably expect nothing less from Bakhtiari, who has put together the start of a potential Hall-of-Fame career in Green Bay. If there’s anybody on Green Bay’s roster who could make a fast recovery from a torn ACL, it’s Bakhtiari.
There hasn’t been any update on whether Bakhtiari will be ready for the season opener in three months time. He likely still has a way to go with his recovery before he can get back on the practice field in full, but it’s a good sign to see him out there moving as comfortably as he is.
And the good news is that there are still three more months for him to recover and get stronger.
During OTAs last week, Pro Bowler Elgton Jenkins lined up at left tackle, perhaps a sign the Packers will move him outside should Bakhtiari miss any time. It’s certainly not bad when you can move a player as talented as Jenkins to left tackle to cover for an injury.
The Packers take on the New Orleans Saints three months from now. It’s still unclear whether Bakhtiari will be out there in that game, but I’ll never bet against him.