It’s official – David Bakhtiari’s season is over.
On Saturday, the Green Bay Packers announced that it had placed its left star tackle in reserve due to injury. Although he may return after three weeks on the list, Bakhtiari’s season is certainly over, as coach Matt LaFleur confirmed that his knee injury suffered on Thursday will not allow him to play the rest of the year.
The Packers have yet to announce their plans to replace Bakhtiari in the starting lineup – which will certainly not be revealed until just before the start of the regular season against the Chicago Bears – but their replacement on the 53-player roster is now known. The Packers summoned guard Ben Braden from the training team to fill that spot; this will be Braden’s second pass on the active roster, and between that period and a few game activations by the training team, he has prepared for three games this year.
In addition, Green Bay elevated a defensive lineman from the training team for Sunday. Brian Price will be eligible to play his second game in a row, having prepared for the Packers in last Sunday’s victory over the Titans. The price will be necessary due to the absence of Kingsley Keke, as the sophomore will be out on Sunday due to a concussion. Also look for newcomer Damon Harrison to face the Bears.
Finally, the Packers re-signed the player they resigned to make way for Harrison earlier this week. That player is lineman Anthony Rush, who has released waivers and is returning to the training team to take the open spot created by Braden’s elevation.