How does the latest David Bakhtiari injury update impact the Packers plans for 2024?

Just because he's no longer in Green Bay, doesn't mean Packers fans have any less admiration for David Bakhtiari. The star offensive lineman was a staple on the Packers' line for the better part of a decade, racking up three Pro Bowls and five All-Pro nominations in the process.

Obviously injuries cut his career short, and the team made the difficult decision this offseason to release him back in March. He's only played in 13 games since tearing his ACL back in 2020, and GM Brian Gutekunst has spent that time making the team's roster significantly younger than it was during the end of the Aaron Rodgers era.

When Bakhatiari was released, the general consensus was that he was done playing in the NFL. But maybe not? According to Ian Rapoport, Bakhatiari's knees are progressing well, and that the doctor who's in charge of his rehabilitation has "proclaimed him on schedule for the 2024 season."

So how does the latest Bakhtiari update impact Packers plans for 2024?

There's good news and bad news, and they both basically boil down to "it doesn't." That's good news because if the Packers were still looking for a 32-year old left tackle with a long history of injury issues, that'd fall somewhere between a concerning and major issue. It's not like current left tackle Rasheed Walker is raking in the All-Pro nominations, but he appeared in all 17 games last year, starting 15 of them, and wasn't terrible. For a 24-year old 7th rounder, it was a good start.

The bad news is that, I mean, who wouldn't love to be a little indulgent and see a healthy Bakhtiari back in Green Bay for one or two more seasons? Especially with how young the rest of the roster is, the Packers would be – in a weird way – the perfect team for him to join. But that's not going to happen, so I'll stop day dreaming now before it gets too real.