5 under-the-radar Panthers players that must perform vs. Washington
By Dean Jones
Pat Elflein – Carolina Panthers C
There were reasons for pessimism when Matt Paradis was ruled out for the season with a torn ACL suffered on the second play against the New England Patriots. The center position is one of the most crucial and not having the veteran commanding this area could have had some significant ramifications unless a suitable replacement was found.
With few options on the free-agent market, the Carolina Panthers made a shrewd move to install Pat Elflein at the center spot. This is a position he excelled in during his time at Ohio State and with his first campaign as part of the Minnesota Vikings before his failed switch to guard.
Judging by Elflein’s display at the Arizona Cardinals, he is far more comfortable in his new role. But we’ll find out much more about what the player is truly capable of this weekend.
As stated previously, the combination of Daron Payne and Jonathan Allen is an imposing one and arguably the best defensive tackle tandem Carolina has faced all season. So there will be no margin for error where Elflein is concerned.
The lineman has been putting in extra work with Cam Newton this week at practice to ensure there are no complications on game day. Hopefully, things will go as smoothly as they did in Week 10 for the player and the Panthers.
And who knows, if Elflein keeps this up in the coming weeks, the position could be his in 2022.