The Carolina Panthers released offensive lineman Pat Elflein (hip) on Tuesday. He was officially released with a failed-physical designation after requiring surgery on his hip last October. The 28-year-old started in only 15 games in his two seasons with the Panthers, including just six starts in 2022. The move to cut Elflein will save the Panthers over $4.2 million in salary cap space in 2023. The former third-round pick of the Minnesota Vikings in 2017 has played with three different teams in his six NFL seasons and will be looking for a new team this offseason.
Carolina Panthers center Pat Elflein could be a potential cap casualty this offseason. The 28-year-old has a $7 million cap hit for the 2023 season. The team would save roughly $4.2 million by cutting Elflein. He began the year as the starting center, but was placed on the injured reserve in October. Elflein underwent hip surgery, which ended his 2022 season. The organization could use that extra money to re-sign their current starting center in Bradley Bozeman.
The Carolina Panthers placed offensive guard Pat Elflein (hamstring) on Injured Reserve on Tuesday. Also, defensive end Yetur Gross-Matos (ankle) will not play on Thursday night against the Houston Texans. Elflein will now miss at least the next three weeks of action. The 27-year-old wasn't all that solid late in the 2020 season, and he had gotten off to a rough start this year. Dennis Daley stepped in for Elflein at left guard in Week 2 against the Arizona Cardinals and is expected to remain at the position for the foreseeable future. Gross-Matos has yet to practice this week after playing a limited role in the first two weeks of the season.
The New York Jets claimed former Vikings offensive lineman Pat Elflein off waivers on Monday, according to a source. Elflein was put on Injured Reserve after injuring his thumb in practice after the season-opener against the Packers and he hasn't played since. The Vikings chose to move on and waived him last weekend. It's unclear when the 26-year-old might be able to get back on the field for his new team, but the Jets could really use upgrades at basically every position on the field, so Elflein could provide a boost to the offensive line at some point this year when he's healthy. He was a third-round pick by Minnesota out of Ohio State back in 2017. Elflein played center his first two years in the league before moving to left guard in 2019.
The Minnesota Vikings have waived guard Pat Elflein (knee), who had spent the season on the Injured Reserve due to a knee injury. The Vikings will roll with second-round rookie offensive guard Ezra Cleveland moving forward. Losing Elflein doesn't really change the outlook of things in Minnesota, as they were already operating without him, but a healthy Elflein could bolster another team's offensive line. Keep an eye on where he ends up, as he can have a positive impact on that team's offense.
Minnesota Vikings starting center Pat Elflein (ankle, shoulder) was activated off of the PUP list on Saturday morning. He is expected to be at practice Sunday, but he will still be unavailable for Week 1 of the regular season. Regardless, this is a massive step in the right direction for a Vikings o-line that has already been berated by injuries this preseason. Elflein was the best piece of the o-line last year, and a Week 2 return would do wonders for Kirk Cousins, Dalvin Cook, and all of the other key offensive pieces on the Vikings roster.
Pat Elflein
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Panthers
