How long tackle rotation persists will reveal David Bakhtiari's future with Packers

David Bakhtiari might have returned from a multi-season injury "nightmare" last Sunday, but his future with the Packers beyond 2022 remains unclear.

A lot can happen in 374 days. Two New Years' Days can come and go. A single boat can disrupt the global supply chain by running aground in the Suez Canal. The most powerful telescope ever built by mankind can travel into space beyond the moon's orbit.

For David Bakhtiari, one particular 374-day period encompassed all of those events as well as a physically and emotionally draining rehabilitation from knee reconstruction. After multiple surgeries and setbacks, the Green Bay Packers' All-Pro left tackle made his triumphant return to the football field on Jan. 9, 2022, for a Week 18 tilt with the Detroit Lions. If the game went well, the team hoped Bakhtiari could resume full-time starting duties just in time for the postseason.

Instead, his return lasted just 27 snaps before more knee trouble pushed the goal posts back yet again.

More than at any time before, Bakhtiari's NFL career seemed to hang in the balance.

"We all wanted to see where it was at," Bakhtiari said of his knee following his brief appearance against the Lions. "When I went out there, we were in the best situation to begin with, and then it was depending on how it was going to respond. Obviously, it didn't respond in the right direction which was a huge bummer for me not being able to play a playoff game.

"It's a nightmare. It's my nightmare that I have to live."

As he had done before, Bakhtiari would have to endure a lengthy rehab process that stretched late into training camp. While he avoided beginning the 2022 regular season on the physically unable to perform list, his knee would keep him sidelined through the first two games.

This past Sunday -- 259 days after his short-lived return and 633 since his ACL tear -- a now 31-year-old Bakhtiari stepped onto the field for his 2022 season debut, a critical matchup with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

To avoid a repeat of the "nightmare" injury cycle, the Packers took an unconventional approach, rotating Bakhtiari and backup Yosh Nijman by the series. In doing so, Bakhtiari played through the fourth quarter without incident. However, he also only saw just 35 snaps, a far cry from a full game. Still, given the long and winding road the All-Pro traveled to arrive here, Green Bay deemed the experiment a success.

"That was great," Packers offensive coordinator Adam Stenavich said of Bakhtiari's return. "I thought he did a really good job. He hadn't really been able to consistently go out there and practice and stuff. So it was great to get him out there. I thought he did a really good job just going out there and playing hard and putting good stuff on film."

But while Bakhtiari appears to have finally gotten over the hump in his recovery, he isn't out of the woods quite yet. Until he convinces the Packers that they no longer need to preserve him with a rotation, his future beyond the 2022 season remains shrouded in mystery.