GREEN BAY — As he slogged through his rehabilitation day after day while seemingly holding out hope for being ready for the start of the regular season, David Bakhtiari remained upbeat. He joked with teammates and reporters alike, all the while insisting he wasn’t putting any hard-and-fast timeline on his return to action.
And whenever the Green Bay Packers five-time All-Pro left tackle was asked about third-year offensive lineman Elgton Jenkins, his likely fill-in if he wasn’t cleared in time for the season opener, Bakhtiari was always effusive in his praise. As Jenkins’ mentor and biggest fan, that was no surprise.