Key Packer Players Missing Practice - Panic Meter:

By: Bryant Barstad

David Bakhtiari - Medium-High: First, I believe this injury needs to be put in perspective as there are fans calling for him to be cut or traded. Fans and media get hung up on the fact that Bakhtiari has been out for 570+ days, but in reality, he missed essentially a season with a torn ACL. He originally tore his ACL on December 31st 2020, and attempted a comeback less than a year later on December 15th 2021, which is a relatively normal time-frame for players his size. Unfortunately, the knee didn’t respond as Bakhtiari and the medical staff had hoped and he had to be shut down for the playoffs; the time missed seems longer because he has missed two playoff runs.

The reason I have listed Bakhtiari as Medium-High is because he had to have a third procedure on the knee, and now his timetable for return is up in the air once again. (Brian Gutekunst and Matt LaFleur declined to put a set date on his return). Each week he misses, this meter will move higher and higher. However, there has been some encouraging news this week as the organization is “cautiously optimistic” and Bakhtiari himself said, “What I can say is I do feel really good. I really like – I feel normal. My knee feels normal, and that's the biggest plus. Now it's just getting that normal feeling again when I play football. So, that's what it is: the load, stress, strength, but we're not really in an ACL issue. That's actually been a long time ago that we put that chapter to bed. It's just there's other issues.” It’s possible at this point the Packers are holding him out to allow him to weight train and rehab his knee behind the scenes, and although it would be nice for him to see some action in preseason after missing so much time, it isn’t necessary as David has plenty of experience. Ultimately, if David was to return week even late in the season, say between weeks 8-10 and be 90-95% for the playoff push, the Packers would take that in a heartbeat as he is an all-pro player that can significantly improve Green Bay’s chances to reach the Superbowl. Not to mention newly promoted Offensive Coordinator Adam Stenavich has done a fantastic job developing depth on the Green Bay Packers offensive line.

Mason Crosby - Medium: The panic meter for Crosby is a medium simply because of the atrocious special teams performance last year. Crosby had a knee scope on his kicking leg, which isn’t ideal for a soon to be 38-year-old kicker, but isn’t the main concern for panic as Crosby said that he will be ready by the start of the season at the very latest. The panic lies in the fact that the entire kicking operation was heavily blamed last year for the kicking issues, not just Crosby (outside of the weird Bengals game), and now Crosby will likely miss the opportunity to fully get comfortable with the new long-snapper and holder before the start of the season. With two of the first three games being at Minnesota and at Tampa Bay, points will come at a premium and it’s possible those games will come down to a field goal; hopefully all three members of the operation are fully comfortable and ready to execute if called upon.

Elgton Jenkins - Medium: It sounds like Jenkins recovery from his knee injury is going extremely well. In fact, Packers GM Brian Gutekunst gave a positive update when he said, “Elgton is doing great. We’re excited. We’d like to get him back out there. Hopefully that will be soon. He’s certainly ahead of schedule.” It’s great that Jenkins is ahead of schedule, but with his injury occurring in November of 2021, it’s likely he will miss at least the first four to six games of the season. With Bakhtiari also being out, and the uncertainty of his return, it's possible Green Bay will be without their top two lineman for the start of the season against some really good pass-rushing defenses. However, the long-term outlook for Jenkins is very positive. Also imagine say week 8 both Bakhtiari and Jenkins return and a formidable Packers team adds two All-Pro offensive linemen to their team.

Sammy Watkins - Medium-Low: The initial injury concern for Watkins is low as it sounds like he will return relatively quickly, but I listed Sammy as medium-low on the panic meter due to his injury history. Watkins hasn’t played a full season since his rookie year, so the fact that he started the season injured is somewhat worrisome. Although Watkins may not be expected to come in and put up 1,000 yards, it sounds like the coaching staff believes he will be an important part of the offense, so the sooner he returns to practice and can get comfortable with Aaron and learn the offense, the better.

UPDATE: The day of writing this, Watkins is coming off the non-football injury list and practicing. His long-term health will remain something to keep an eye on, but this is a perfect example of why panicking too early in training camp isn’t worth the energy.

Christian Watson - Low: The main concern for Watson isn’t his injury, as it sounds like he could have played through it, but more so the fact that he is missing valuable time as a rookie and adds a dynamic to the Packers offense that no one else can. With the loss of Adams and MVS, the Packers group of wide receivers lack a true explosive option. Watkins had that ability, but is older now and Allen Lazard is more of a possession receiver (still very valuable, just not a big Yards After Catch threat). With Watson’s size and speed (6’4'' and 4.36/40-yard dash), he has the most ability among the group to take the top off the defense, or take a drag route or jet sweep to the house, so getting him on the field as soon possible will open up the offense and give the Packers a true home run threat. During his media availability on Thursday Matt LaFleur did praise Watson, saying he was impressed with how quickly he got up to speed on his offensive responsibilities.

Robert Tonyan - Low:  There has been confidence that Tonyan will return from his injury by the start of the season since early March when the Packers re-signed Tonyan, with Brian Gutekunst saying Tonyan is ahead of schedule on his recovery. Additionally, in late June, Tonyan attended “Tight End U'' and ran on the sidelines during drills. Tonyan’s role seemed to diminish for the first half of last year before his injury compared to his breakout 2020 campaign, but if Tonyan can return by the start of the season, it will give Rodgers another trusted pass catcher and big target to turn to in pivotal situations like third down and in the red zone.

Overall Panic Meter - Medium-Low: A few days into training camp, the panic level should be medium-low. Around the league, teams like Tampa Bay have already lost key players along the offensive line while Green Bay is just waiting for them to return. There is some panic along the offensive line because it’s possible Green Bay will be looking to use the run game more this year, and when you are missing two all-pro level players, there is bound to be a drop off in production. Fortunately, Green Bay has a great front office and they have continued to pump draft picks into the offensive line, so the team should be able to stay afloat waiting for Jenkins and Bakhtiari’s return. As for the pass catchers on this list, it sounds as though all of them will return relatively quickly. It’s never great for a rookie to start behind the curve, but Watson had some time with Rodgers during OTAs and Head Coach Matt LaFleur will undoubtedly have a plan to get him involved upon his return.