The training camp of All-Pro left tackle David Bakhtiari will officially begin on Sunday. Green Bay Packers coach Matt LaFleur said Bakhtiari is coming off the physically unable to participate (PUP) list and will do individual drills on Sunday.
“Dave’s coming off PUP today. He’ll be out there at practice today,” LaFlrue said. “He is only going to do individual…it’s just the next step. But we are excited to get him out there on the grass, and we’ll take it one day at a time.”
Bakhtiari, who originally injured his knee before Week 17 of the 2020 season, has been on the PUP list since the start of training camp. He played in just one game during the 2021 season and has needed three total surgeries since suffering the original injury, including one right before the start of the offseason workout program this spring.
LaFleur said the Packers want to see how Bakhtiari’s knee responds and wouldn’t put a timeline on his full return to the field. It’s still unclear if he has a chance to play Week 1, but now the Packers are committing to having Bakhtiari on the first 53-man roster.
“There’s no thought as of Week 1 is concerned right now,” LaFleur said. “When he’s ready, he’s ready.”
LaFleur also said it’s reasonable to expect Bakhtiari and Elgton Jenkins, who is also coming off a major injury, to have some rust that will need to get knocked off once they return.
Bakhtiari played in the season finale last year in Detroit but was unavailable for the postseason. Prior to the injury, Bakhtiari was a five-time All-Pro at offensive tackle.
