Free agent offensive tackle David Bakhtiari is one of the biggest high-risk, high-reward players left on the open market. At his best, the two-time All-Pro is an immovable wall in pass protection while plowing over edge defenders in the run game. Unfortunately, a long run of injuries sidelined him for the better part of the past three seasons and limited him to just one game in 2023.
Now out of Green Bay for the first time in his career, the offensive tackle claims to be on the path to a full recovery. While David Bakhtiari has yet to sign with a new team, the free agent has one request that the Kansas City Chiefs and Baltimore Ravens might be able to fulfill.
Five-time All-Pro LT David Bakhtiari said he’s “really happy” with the progress from his latest knee surgery — so much so that he now hopes to play multiple seasons. And his goal is to play this season with the Super Bowl MVP.
🎧 https://t.co/oqnvaxWZ04 pic.twitter.com/jdeRlE6L7X
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) June 19, 2024
Obviously, the season hasn’t happened yet, so there’s no way to know who the Super Bowl MVP will be. However, Patrick Mahomes and Lamar Jackson are two of the best quarterbacks in football and play on some of the strongest rosters in the league. So, if either team is looking for a free agent offensive tackle, David Bakhtiari could be an ideal fit.
Free Agent David Bakhtiari Could Sign With Ravens, Chiefs
The Ravens and Chiefs are arguably the two best teams in the AFC, but both could be in the market for a veteran tackle. Kansas City possesses an elite interior offensive line of Trey Smith, Creed Humphrey, and Joe Thuney but lacks short-term security at tackle. Perhaps second-round pick Kingsley Suamataia can hit the ground running, but the Chiefs could use a Plan B that isn’t Wanya Morris. A healthy version of free agent David Bakhtiari could provide a much-needed security blanket as the team tries to win their third Super Bowl in as many seasons.
Baltimore, meanwhile, has Ronnie Staley locked in at the left tackle position. Right tackle, however, is up in the air. The Ravens traded Morgan Moses to the New York Jets and are putting all their faith in second-round pick Roger Rosengarten. Baltimore excels at developing young talent, but a contender like Baltimore shouldn’t put so much faith into an untested player. The Ravens don’t have much cap space, but they can easily sign David Bakhtiari as a free agent and structure his deal with Not Likely to Be Earned incentives.
Is He Actually Healthy?
The Chiefs and Ravens could sign David Bakhtiari as a free agent if he’s healthy, but we don’t know if he can physically stay on the field. The two-time All-Pro says he’ll be healthy again, but optimism reigns supreme in the offseason.
The fact of the matter is that David Bakhtiari is a free agent for a reason. The offensive tackle battled knee injuries for most of the past four seasons and is now entering his age-33 season. The human body can only handle so much punishment, and the odds of Bakhtiari playing a full 17-game slate are slim. Perhaps some team gives him a one-year deal with minimal guarantees, but nobody should expect much from him, regardless of where he lands.
Main Photo: Mark Hoffman – USA Today Sports
