The Green Bay Packers are considered by most to be a wild card in the NFC North this season. The Packers have a ton of raw talent and a track record as one of the NFL's best franchises, but lack a true superstar on either side of the ball now that Aaron Rodgers is in New York.

Head Coach Matt LaFleur is doing his best to ‘get everybody on the boat,' but at least two key Packers are struggling in training camp. Jordan Love has the talent and the demeanor to become a star, but his 2019 starting debut was a disaster.

With the team's preseason debut days away, LaFleur and company have received good news on the David Bakhtiari front. The 6-foot-4, 310-pound lineman and three-time Pro Bowler said recently that his health status is much improved compared to last season.

“This year is definitely night and day compared to last year,” Bakhtiari said, adding that last year was a tough experience for him.

“I was just trying not to drown, is the best way to put it. A lot of times, I felt like I was going into games with like one hand strapped behind my back.”

The monstrous offensive lineman is adept at pass blocking and run blocking. With Aaron Rodgers gone, he will attempt to spearhead a new era in Packers country with LaFleur, running back Aaron Jones, Love and others leading the way alongside him.

Bakhtiari added that he had “many compounded surgeries” right before last season.

“I always look at the offseason as the ability to put on armor,” he said. “You know, build up strength to endure the season.

“I never even got those opportunities. From when I tore my knee on New Year's Eve 2020, I was always showing up at the start of the season transitioning from physical therapy to football.”

The full interview can be seen in the video below.