Help is arriving for the Green Bay Packers offense, and it's more than just the return of QB Aaron Rodgers from COVID-19.
Packers left tackle David Bakhtiari has been activated off the reserve/physically unable to perform list, a move announced Wednesday by Packers general manager Brian Gutekunst, and could play as early as Sunday at home against the Seattle Seahawks. He has yet to play this season as he's completed recovery from an ACL injury suffered last December.
One of the game's elite pass protectors, Bakhtiari will add a major presence to the Packers offensive line as the team looks to extend its comfortable lead in the NFC North standings. It will allow the versatile Elgton Jenkins, who is more of a natural in the interior of the line, to move inside and thus strengthen the Packers line both inside and out.
Jenkins has been charged with left tackle duty, protecting Rodgers' blind side, since the preseason. In Bakhtiari's absence, Green Bay has held up remarkably well in pass protection, allowing pressures on 22.6 percent of dropbacks, one of the lowest rates in the NFL.
His return would come almost exactly a year after he agreed to a four-year, $105.5 million contract extension. The deal came with a $30 million signing bonus -- a record for an offensive lineman -- and established the two-time All-Pro as a fixture on the Green Bay line through 2024.
