The end of 2020 could not have been worse for the Green Bay Packers report by Ilan Rapoport of NFL Network, who had striking left-back David Bakhtiari on Thursday in training with a knee injury that ended the season.
The Packers’ fear is that Bakhtiari has torn his ACL and is ready for the season. Either way, it looks like Green Bay will enter the playoffs without one of their best players.
Bakhtiari, a four-time All-Pro pick, is arguably the best offensive linebacker in the NFL and the biggest reason eighth-man Aaron Rodgers has been sacked just 19 times so far this season.
It is clear that replacing Bakhtiari will be difficult. After all, there’s a reason the Packers made him the highest paid offense in NFL history just a month ago.
But the Packers have options. And one injury is not going to stop them from reaching the pinnacle of all sports, as long as they have an emergency plan for Bakhtiari’s absence.
The good news is that Green Bay boasts a deep rotation on the offensive line, with several lineouts hitting different positions this season.
In fact, the Packers have two of the NFL’s most versatile lineouts – Elgton Jenkins and Billy Turner – who both have experience with the left tackle.
In his second season, Jenkins was named his first Pro Bowl after showing incredible versatility. He only allowed one bag despite playing four different positions (left guard, center, left and right).
How good was Jenkins? According to Jason Wilde of the Wisconsin State Journal, he is only the third Packers linebacker in franchise history to be selected to a Pro Bowl in his first two seasons.
“You can see he’s playing guard to tackle the center, he’s a man who takes on the challenge and loves the game,” said attacking coordinator Nathaniel Hackett. “And he’s so intelligent. He can do so much, and I think that only allowed him to play at a high level. ”
Then there is Turner, who after a shaky first season with the Packers in 2019 proved that he was one of the team’s most valuable players this season.
Like Jenkins, Turner has recorded time at various positions. He allowed only two pockets while watching snaps at three different positions; right barrel, right guard and left branch.
The versatility of Jenkins and Turner enabled the offense of Packers to make smooth adjustments in the game without causing many setbacks along the way.
“Being able to go from one side to the other in the middle of a game is not necessarily the physical part,” Turner said in November.
‘You know you are capable of doing these actions physically, the techniques you have been practicing for so long. It’s really just the mental aspect of saying to yourself, ‘OK, instead of pushing with this leg, I have to push with the opposite. Instead of throwing this hand first, I have to use this hand. ”
Also, let’s not forget that the Packers have an MVP quarterback in the midst of probably his best season ever. Rodgers alone could lead the Packers to the Super Bowl.
Although the Packers will certainly not miss the presence of Bakhtiari, the team can replace him. And this is probably Green Bay’s most complete list since 2014. The Packers’ Super Bowl hopes should not be dismissed due to one injury.