Packers: David Bakhtiari ‘expected’ to return in Week 3 vs. Bucs

The Green Bay Packers could have their All-Pro left tackle available in Week 3 against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Some potentially great news for the Green Bay Packers ahead of their Week 3 matchup against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Five-time All-Pro left tackle David Bakhtiari looks set to make his return.

According to Ryan Wood of the Green Bay Press-Gazette, Bakhtiari is “expected to make his 2022 debut” on Sunday afternoon against the Buccaneers.

Up against one of the league’s top defenses, this would give the Packers’ offense a huge boost. Going into the game with David Bakhtiari and Elgton Jenkins is far different than having backups out there.

Since tearing his ACL on New Year’s Eve in 2020, Bakhtiari has only been active for one game, which was against the Detroit Lions in Week 18 last season. According to Pro Football Reference, he played just 27 snaps in the game.

The hope was that Bakhtiari would be eased back into game action and be ready for the team’s playoff run this past January. Unfortunately, the star left tackle wouldn’t play again last season.

It has been a long road back for Bakhtiari, but it’s great news that he is now likely back. Hopefully his bad luck with injuries is now behind him, and Bakhtiari can again be one of the Packers’ most important players on offense.

We shouldn’t expect him to be at an All-Pro level right away. I mean, he’s David Bakhtiari, so it wouldn’t be a surprise if he’s back to his best in Week 3, but it would be unfair to place those expectations on him.

He has barely played regular season football over the past two years. As we saw with Elgton Jenkins last week, it may take some time for Bakhtiari to get back to his best.

But having him back out there will be amazing to see.