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Pat Elflein

Minor NFL Transactions: 8/9/24

August 9th, 2024 at 8:35pm CST by Ely Allen

Friday’s minor transactions to close out the week:

Arizona Cardinals

Carolina Panthers

Green Bay Packers

  • Waived (with injury settlement): WR Rory Starkey

Jacksonville Jaguars

New York Giants

Pittsburgh Steelers

San Francisco 49ers

Seattle Seahawks

  • Waived (with injury designation): NT Matthew Gotel

Haynes quick exit after a short stint in Arizona comes after he signed a contract including an injury waiver. He spent time on injured reserve with the Panthers last season, precipitating the presence of the injury waiver in his latest deal. The team utilized the waiver to terminate his contract today.

49ers Sign RB Matt Breida

August 5th, 2024 at 8:29pm CST by Ben Levine

Matt Breida is returning to his first NFL squad. According to ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler, the 49ers are signing the veteran running back. Per Aaron Wilson of KPRC2, Breida was among a long list of players who auditioned for the 49ers today, a grouping that also included fellow running backs Anthony McFarland Jr. and Ke’Shawn Vaughn.

The UDFA out of Georgia Southern got his first NFL contract from the 49ers and proceeded to spend three seasons in San Francisco. Breida got into 43 games (18 starts) with the organization between 2017 and 2019, compiling 2,463 yards from scrimmage and 10 touchdowns. His best season came in 2018, when he topped 1,000 offensive yards.

He was dealt to the Dolphins ahead of the 2020 campaign, but he finished his lone season in Miami with a career-low 68 touches. That number fell to 33 touches during his stint with the Bills in 2021, but he found a home with the Giants over the past two years. Serving as Saquon Barkley‘s primary backup, Breida collected 577 yards from scrimmage between 2022 and 2023.

Now, he’ll be joining a 49ers depth chart that’s in need of some depth. As Matt Barrows of The Athletic notes, fourth-round rookie Isaac Guerendo recently went down with a hamstring injury, and the team was already expected to limit Christian McCaffrey‘s snaps during the preseason. That means Breida will now be competing for preseason reps with familiar faces like Elijah Mitchell and Jordan Mason, newcomer Patrick Taylor Jr., and UDFA Cody Schrader.

The 49ers made a couple of other transactions today. According to Barrows, the team signed offensive lineman Lewis Kidd and placed OL Pat Elflein on IR. Elflein only joined the team the other day, and Barrows notes that the lineman injured his calf only a few plays into his first practice with the team.

This is the second-straight year that Elflein has landed on injured reserve before the season even begins. Last year, it came with the Cardinals, as the lineman was placed on IR with an undisclosed injury right before the season started. The former Vikings starter spent the 2021 and 2022 campaigns in Carolina, where he started all 15 of his appearances.

49ers Sign OL Pat Elflein

August 2nd, 2024 at 12:26pm CST by Adam La Rose

The 49ers have added experienced depth along the interior of their offensive line. Pat Elflein was signed on Friday, per a team announcement. He was among the players who visited San Francisco for a recent workout, as noted by Aaron Wilson of KPRC2.

Elflein has started all but one of his 65 career games, and players with his level of experience in a first-team role rarely last deep into the summer on the free agent market. In his case, though, it comes as little surprise he has needed to wait until August to find a new deal. The 30-year-old missed all of last season with his latest injury troubles, something which has marred much of his career.

Beginning his NFL tenure in Minnesota, Elflein avoided any significant missed time from 2017-19. In the years since then, however, he has struggled to remain on the field. The former third-rounder played six games with the Jets in 2020 before landing a three-year, $13.5MM deal with the Panthers in free agency. Elflein saw time as a starter at both center and left guard in Carolina, but he was only available for 15 games across his two seasons there.

The Ohio State product was released by the Panthers with one year remaining on his pact, setting up a one-year Cardinals deal last offseason. By August, Elfien found himself on injured reserve, however, sidelining him for the campaign. Considering his missed time, today’s deal will contain little (if any) guaranteed money.

San Francisco has Jake Brendel in place at the center spot. He has served as the team’s full-time starter in the middle for each of the past two years, and that should continue in 2024. At guard, Aaron Banks remains in place on the left while a competition between Spencer Burford, Jon Feliciano and Dominick Puni continues for the right guard spot. Elfien will aim to carve out a depth role with the 49ers at either the center or guard positions. In a corresponding move, fellow O-lineman Briason Mays was waived.

Cardinals Place OL Pat Elflein On IR

August 28th, 2023 at 6:07pm CST by Sam Robinson

Injuries have dogged Pat Elflein since his Minnesota days. The veteran interior offensive lineman is back on IR as of Monday. This designation takes Elflein out of the Cardinals’ mix.

Elflein, who signed with the Cardinals just before training camp, will not be carried over to the team’s 53-man roster. While Elflein has made a few trips to IR during his career, being placed on the injury list before the season — thus, exempting him from an in-season activation — is new territory for the former Vikings, Jets and Panthers starter.

Signing Elflein to a one-year, $1.15MM contract, the Cardinals guaranteed him just $25K. The seventh-year veteran will likely receive an injury settlement and be jettisoned from Arizona’s IR list. Injury waivers existed in this contract for hip and ankle issues, which have led to past Elflein absences. Elflein, 29, missed practice time ahead of Arizona’s third preseason game. Both Jonathan Gannon and OC Drew Petzing were in Minnesota during part of Elflein’s Vikings career.

Formerly the Vikings’ starting center, Elflein hit Minnesota’s IR in September 2020. After the Vikes cut him later that year, Elflein scored a three-year, $13.5MM Panthers pact. He was back on IR in September 2021 and again in October 2022. The center/guard missed 11 games last season, going down with a hip injury in October. A Cards settlement would allow Elflein to resurface elsewhere when he heals up, but it is safe to say the 64-game starter’s career is at a crossroads.

The Cardinals are now without two notable veterans on their O-line; they dealt Josh Jones to the Texans during their three-trade Thursday. Jones worked as D.J. Humphries‘ primary fill-in last season. With Humphries back, the Cardinals have gone Humphries-Elijah Wilkinson–Hjalte Froholdt–Will Hernandez-Paris Johnson up front since training camp started.

Arizona also released defensive backs Nate Hairston and Sean Chandler. Teams have until 3pm CT on Tuesday to cut their rosters to 53 players. Hairston, who has 18 career starts at cornerback, played in two Cards games last season. A sixth-year safety who has seen action with the Giants and Panthers, Chandler has seven career starts on his resume.

Cardinals Sign OL Pat Elflein, TE Geoff Swaim

July 25th, 2023 at 5:54pm CST by Ben Levine

The Cardinals have added a veteran center to their OL grouping, with the team announcing today that they’ve signed Pat Elflein. The Cardinals also added tight end Geoff Swaim, wide receivers Davion Davis and Kaden Davis, and long snapper Jack Coco. To round out the transactions, the team placed long snapper Matt Hembrough on injured reserve and released tight end Chris Pierce.

Swaim received a higher guarantee, per GOPHNX.com’s Howard Balzer, who notes (via Twitter) the base value ($1.7MM) and signing bonus ($450K) figures for the veteran tight end. Elflein’s contract checks just above the league minimum. The former Vikings, Jets and Panthers blocker signed a one-year, $1.15MM deal with just $25K fully guaranteed, Balzer tweets.

Elflein, 29, was a third-round pick by the Vikings back in 2017 and ended up spending three-plus seasons in Minnesota, starting 43 of his 44 regular season appearances. He had a brief half-year stint with the Jets before catching on with the Panthers via a three-year contract. During his two years in Carolina, the veteran was limited to only 15 starts while dealing with hamstring and hip injuries.

The Panthers cut Elflein back in March, and he’ll now join a Cardinals group that features Hjalte Froholdt as the starting center and Lecitus Smith and rookie Jon Gaines II as backups. Elflein’s ability to play guard could ultimately afford him a backup role in Arizona, but it remains to be seen how much he has left in the tank. After finishing 37th among 39 qualifying centers on Pro Football Focus’ rankings in 2021, Elflein would have landed in the bottom-third of the position in 2022 had he earned enough snaps.

Swaim, 29, is an experienced addition to the tight ends room, having started 57 of his 86 games since entering the NFL in 2015. After playing as mostly a backup during his time with the Cowboys and Jaguars, Swaim emerged as a starter in Tennessee, starting 37 of his 43 appearances for the Titans over the past three years.

Following a 2021 campaign where he hauled in a career-high 31 receptions, Swaim was limited to only 12 catches for 58 yards in 2022. He’ll be joining a depth chart led by Zach Ertz and Trey McBride. According to Aaron Wilson of ProFootballNetwork.com (on Twitter), the tight end will be signing a one-year deal with the Cardinals.

Panthers Release OL Pat Elflein

March 14th, 2023 at 3:06pm CST by Sam Robinson

In the wake of the Panthers re-signing Bradley Bozeman and ensuring their entire starting offensive line from last season will return, they are releasing one of their former O-line starters.

Carolina cut ties with Pat Elflein on Tuesday, according to the team. This move will save the Panthers $4.3MM in cap space. Elflein began last season as a Carolina O-line starter, but an injury will lead the veteran blocker to relocate. By releasing Elflein now, Adam Caplan of Sirius XM notes the Panthers avoid payment of a $1MM roster bonus due later this week (Twitter link).

A Bozeman summer injury led Elflein to beginning the year as Carolina’s starting pivot, but a subsequent hip surgery ended the former third-round pick’s season. The former Vikings and Jets starter should be able to attract interest, but Elflein’s next deal likely will not match his three-year, $13.5MM pact considering the recent injury.

Elflein began his Panthers tenure as a guard in 2021, with Matt Paradis then in place at center, and he ended up starting 15 games for the team. But injuries intervened in each season. Elflein ended up missing 26 games over his two Panthers campaigns. The former Vikings third-round pick has not played 10 games in a season since 2019.

The Panthers’ two-year Bozeman re-up locks him in alongside Ikem Ekwonu, Taylor Moton, Brady Christensen and Austin Corbett. Headed into an age-29 season, Elflein — he of 64 career starts — will join a few interior line-starters-turned cap casualties (Graham Glasgow, Gabe Jackson, Matt Feiler) and attempt to find a spot in a starting five elsewhere.

Panthers, C Bradley Bozeman Have Mutual Interest In New Deal

January 22nd, 2023 at 1:01pm CST by Rory Parks

The Panthers signed Bradley Bozeman to a modest one-year, $2.8MM contract last offseason, which was something of a surprise given that the Alabama product was coming off a productive season as the Ravens’ full-time starter at center and seemed primed for a more robust market. After an uncertain start to his Carolina tenure, however, both player and team are interested in continuing their relationship, as David Newton of ESPN.com tweets.

Bozeman and Pat Elflein battled for the Panthers’ starting center gig last summer, and the ankle injury that Bozeman suffered in August gave Elflein a leg up in that competition. Indeed, Elflein started the first six games of the 2022 season at the pivot while Bozeman saw only a handful of special teams snap in each of those contests. Elflein was then forced to undergo season-ending hip surgery, which opened the door for Bozeman to take over.

Bozeman played in every offensive snap for the Panthers over the final 11 games of the campaign, and his mauling style of play certainly helped a rushing attack that finished 10th in the league in yards per game despite losing Christian McCaffrey in advance of the trade deadline. Bozeman’s advanced metrics were unspectacular, though, as Pro Football Focus considered him the 20th-best center in the game out of 38 qualified players, and his 63.1 overall grade represented a step back after a strong 73.6 mark in his final season in Baltimore.

Still, the 28-year-old blocker has proven that he is at least a competent starter, with the potential to be more. He also has the ability to play guard at a passable level, which is not insignificant in light of Brady Christensen‘s so-so season at LG.

Elflein — who also has guard experience but who has never been a world-beater — could become a cap casualty (though that is simply speculation at this point). He is under club control through 2023, but the Panthers would realize $4.2MM of cap savings if they were to release him this offseason, money that could certainly go towards a second Bozeman contract.

Panthers C Pat Elflein Expected To Miss Rest Of Season

October 26th, 2022 at 8:12pm CST by Ben Levine

It sounds like Pat Elflein‘s season has come to an end. The Panthers center is set to undergo season-ending hip surgery, coach Steve Wilks told reporters today (via Darin Gantt of NBC Sports on Twitter).

Elflein landed on injured reserve on Saturday. The veteran had reportedly been dealing with a hip injury that forced him to miss practice time leading up to Week 7. The IR stint meant the offensive lineman would have been sidelined until at least Week 11, but the veteran will ultimately miss the rest of the season.

The center started 42 of his first 43 NFL games with the Vikings between 2017 and 2019. After splitting the 2020 campaign with the Vikings and Jets, he joined the Panthers on a three-year, $13.5MM deal. He was limited to nine starts during his first season with the Panthers thanks to a hamstring injury that knocked him out for a few months. After Pro Football Focus graded him towards the bottom of the center position in 2021, Elflein ranked 21st among 37 qualifiers in six starts this year.

Bradley Bozeman will likely take over in the starting lineup for the Panthers. The offensive lineman started 48 games for the Ravens between 2019 and 2021, but he’s been limited to a backup role during his first season in Carolina, starting only one of his seven appearances.

Minor NFL Transactions: 10/22/22

October 22nd, 2022 at 4:45pm CST by Ely Allen

Here are the league’s minor moves going into Week 7:

Atlanta Falcons

Baltimore Ravens

Carolina Panthers

Cincinnati Bengals

Dallas Cowboys

Detroit Lions

Indianapolis Colts

Kansas City Chiefs

Las Vegas Raiders

Los Angeles Chargers

Miami Dolphins

New York Giants

New York Jets

San Francisco 49ers

Seattle Seahawks

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Tennessee Titans

Washington Commanders

NFC South Notes: Saints, Elflein, Falcons

August 3rd, 2022 at 9:49am CST by Sam Robinson

A potential Alvin Kamara suspension does not appear to be coming to start the 2022 season. The Saints running back’s hearing on charges of conspiracy to commit battery and battery with substantial bodily harm, which was scheduled for this week, has been delayed 60 days, according to KLAS-TV’s David Charns. Kamara, Chiefs cornerback Chris Lammons and two other men face charges in connection with a Feb. 5 assault committed against a man in Las Vegas. The Saints Pro Bowler is bracing for a six-game suspension, but depending on when this hearing ends up taking place, that potential ban may come either during the 2022 season or to start the ’23 campaign.

Here is the latest from the NFC South:

  • Tyrann Mathieu is back with the Saints. The offseason addition is making his training camp debut six days late after being excused for a personal matter, Jeff Duncan of NOLA.com notes. Signed to a three-year deal worth $28.3MM, Mathieu is believed to have returned to New Orleans on Tuesday night. The 29-year-old All-Pro joins Marcus Maye as the safeties on track to replace the Marcus Williams–Malcolm Jenkins tandem.
  • Pat Elflein has played both guard and center for the Panthers, but Matt Rhule said recently the veteran will be working at the latter spot during training camp. Elflein is battling the recently signed Bradley Bozeman for the center gig. Despite Bozeman being one of the team’s offseason additions up front, along with projected starters Austin Corbett and Ikem Ekwonu, The Athletic’s Joe Person noted ahead of camp Elflein had a slight lead for the pivot job (subscription required). A former Vikings center starter, Elflein signed a three-year, $13.5MM deal with the Panthers in 2021. He started nine games with Carolina last season, though Pro Football Focus graded him as one of the league’s worst interior O-linemen.
  • The Panthers made some changes to their scouting department recently. They bumped Rob Hanrahan from assistant director of pro scouting to pro scouting director and gave his old gig to Tyler Ramsey, Person tweets. Hanrahan will replace Matt Allen, whom the team parted ways with in February. Additionally, Robert Haynes will rise from the area-scout level to a national scouting post, and former Lions wide receiver Corey Fuller — brother of Kyle and Kendall Fuller — is moving from the assistant level to west coast area scout (Twitter link).
  • Jahri Evans and Ty Warren are attempting to break into the coaching ranks. Both are interning as Saints staffers at camp, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets. A 12-year veteran who made four straight All-Pro teams as a Saints guard, Evans, 38, hung up his cleats after the 2017 season. Warren, 41, spent 10 seasons with the Patriots and Broncos, being a starting defensive lineman for two Pats Super Bowl-bound squads. He retired after the 2012 season.
  • The Falcons also made some staff adjustments. They promoted Sal Conti to pro scout and Rushell Harvey to player personnel coordinator, per D. Orlando Ledbetter of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Both staffers joined the team last year under GM Terry Fontenot. The team also hired Donavan Ellison, previously a Panthers assistant, to work as a football analyst.
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