Matt LaFleur admitted that his starting left tackle didn’t like the idea, but the Green Bay Packers coach didn’t want to overwhelm David Bakhtiari in his first game of the 2022 season.
LaFleur rotated Bakhtiari in and out at left tackle on Sunday against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, using Yosh Nijman – the starter the first two games – to spell him every other series.
Bakhtiari, a five-time All-Pro, was making just his second overall start since suffering a significant knee injury on Dec. 31 of 2020.
LaFleur pointed to the hot weather in Tampa, the fact Bakhtiari hasn’t played a full game in two years and the overall play of Nijman as primary reasons why he used both players at left tackle on Sunday.