Matt LaFleur provides David Bakhtiari injury update, and it's not great

The Green Bay Packers miss left tackle David Bakhtiari, but they could be without the five-time All-Pro for a while.

Bakhtiari played in the Packers' season opener against the Chicago Bears, and he dominated. However, frustrating knee issues have kept him out of the previous three games, and the Packers placed him on injured reserve on Thursday.

NFL Network's Ian Rapoport reported that Bakhtiari had arthroscopic knee surgery this week and has another surgery planned soon to help him "play at full strength in 2024."

That would seem to suggest Bakhtiari's season is in jeopardy, which is a real shame. It has been a brutal injury for Bakhtiari, one that has completely changed the course of his career. He is still a fantastic player when he is out there, but the injury has limited him to just 13 games since 2021.

Following Green Bay's loss in Week 4, head coach Matt LaFleur provided an update on Bakhtiari.

Packers: Matt LaFleur provides David Bakhtiari injury update, and it's not great

LaFleur didn't go into the specifics of when Bakhtiari could potentially return or how his future could look in Green Bay, but it doesn't sound like they are expecting him back anytime soon.

LaFleur said: "I hate the situation Dave's in. I feel for him. He's been battling and battling and battling to try to make it back. He's had a bad injury. I think we're seeing the effects of that. I knew that when it happened. He's tried everything - he wants to be out there, he wants to play ball. He's tried anything and everything to make it back, but his knee is not responding in the right way. So, I feel for him, and it's just the situation we're in right now."

It's heartbreaking. Bakhtiari had made five consecutive All-Pro teams before the injury. He rarely missed time. Then, one injury suffered on the practice field changed everything. Bakhtiari is still dealing with the impact of the injury now, and it could limit him to only one game this season.

It's remarkable how Bakhtiari continues to dominate when he's active despite not being at 100 percent.

Hopefully, Bakhtiari's upcoming surgery will help him return even stronger in 2024. But the Packers are likely to be without their star left tackle for a while.

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