Bakhtiari sees Packers reaching another level up front

[Cheesehead]

GREEN BAY – David Bakhtiari has an expectation for the Packers' offensive line in 2020, and he has his reasons.


In a Zoom call with local media on Tuesday from his home in California, Bakhtiari said he sees "another level of dominance" for Green Bay up front.


It was a short but bold statement, particularly with veteran right tackle Bryan Bulaga no longer the bookend opposite Bakhtiari on the left side for the first time in the last eight years.


But Bakhtiari means no disrespect to his longtime friend and teammate, whose leadership he's being called upon to replace. His confidence in the unit is rooted, among several things, in the offense moving into its second year in Head Coach Matt LaFleur's system.


Throughout the virtual offseason, as Bakhtiari has gotten in tune with his own Year 2 progress, he envisions similar growth applying across the board to fellow returning linemen Billy Turner, Corey Linsley, and especially Elgton Jenkins, last year's promising rookie.


"I think it really just boils down to when you're more comfortable in a system, when you think less, you're playing faster," Bakhtiari said. "Because you're thinking less. And that's true. On a personal level, that's my expectation."


Free-agent acquisition Rick Wagner, stepping in for Bulaga, is the new starter with the most to learn, but Bakhtiari believes he'll settle in just fine. They've known each other for a while, having both entered the league in 2013 (getting drafted 59 picks apart, incidentally; Bakhtiari 109th by the Packers, Wagner 168th by the Ravens), and he sees his new teammate as a strong complement, personality-wise, to himself.


"I'd assume he'll acclimate just fine and kind of be the soft-spoken, neutral voice that I think is needed maybe at times to calm me down or tell me to shut up," he joked.


All kidding aside, Bakhtiari also sees the young left guard next to him, Jenkins, in sky's-the-limit mode. The PFWA All-Rookie selection had the best inaugural year of any Packers linemen since Linsley was named All-Rookie in 2014, and he believes Jenkins' instincts are what set him apart.