The Green Bay Packers have set their 53-man roster and will carry 10 offensive linemen into the 2024 NFL regular season. These players are Rasheed Walker, Elgton Jenkins, Josh Myers, Sean Rhyan, Zach Tom, Jordan Morgan, Travis Glover, Jacob Monk, Andre Dillard, and Kadeem Telfort. Three of these players, Morgan, Glover, and Monk, are 2024 NFL Draft picks.
Walker, of course, took over at left tackle last season when three-time Pro Bowler David Bakhtiari went down with a knee injury after Week One and was lost for the season. Earlier this year, the Packers made the decision to release Bakhtiari, who had one year left on his contract and would have carried a cap hit of nearly $40 million.
Former Green Bay Packers Offensive Lineman David Bakhtiari Has Played 13 Games in 3 Years
Wm. Glasheen USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin
In late December of 2020, Bakhtiari tore his ACL while doing non-contact drills at Packers practice. Of course, this injury caused him to miss the rest of the regular season and Green Bay’s run to the NFC Championship Game.
He also missed the majority of the 2021 season, appearing in the Packers’ final regular season game, but missing their NFL Playoff game against the San Francisco 49ers.
Bakhtiari returned in 2022 but was limited to 11 games as Green Bay tried to manage the effect of playing on his surgically repaired knee. In 2023, he was supposed to be completely healthy but injured his knee again after one game.
Former Green Bay Packers Left Tackle David Bakhtiari Has Been Ranked the Best Free Agent on the Market
After his release by Green Bay earlier this year, Bakhtiari revealed that he would be at full strength and ready to contribute to any team by the time training camp started. However, no teams took a look at him.
Now that NFL rosters have been trimmed to 53 players, there are a plethora of available free agents joining Bakhtiari on the open market. Bleacher Report seems to think that the five-time All-Pro is the best of the bunch.
“David Bakhtiari, when he plays, he is really good. So if you’re looking for a left tackle, especially if your left tackle goes down, a contender could sign him up immediately. And as long as healthy and ready to go, he’ll be very good,” it was said about him in a video posted on their site that named him as the number one free agent on the market.
And it may be true. Bakhtiari dominated the Chicago Bears defense in the lone game he played in 2023. Whenever he has come back from injury, he has never shown a decline in play.
A team like the Dallas Cowboys, who may have a rookie starting at left tackle, would probably be wise to look into signing Bakhtiari before the season starts.
For More Great Football Content
Follow me on Twitter at @theotherRobin19 more great content. To read more of our articles and keep up to date on the latest in college and professional football, click here!
