We knew Pat Elflein was going to be out this Thursday night against the Houston Texans, but now the Carolina Panthers have indicated he’ll be sidelined for at least three weeks as the team places him on injured reserve.
#Panthers place Pat Elflein on injured reservehttps://t.co/weTXotSvrY
— Carolina Panthers (@Panthers) September 21, 2021
This move isn’t entirely surprising, as a hamstring strain or pull is usually a minimum two week injury, and the team needed to clear a spot for cornerback A.J. Bouye as he returns from his two game suspension to start the season.
This makes Dennis Daley the starter at left guard for the foreseeable future, and leaves the Panthers in need of a backup center as well. This likely means Sam Tecklenberg is going to be called up from the practice squad again and is probably going to stay on the active roster at least three weeks. Brady Christensen will become the primary backup at left guard as he continues to get his NFL sea legs beneath him.
Elflein has struggled at left guard this season, but then again so has Dennis Daley. As I said in my Hog Molly Report, the best thing for the Panthers will be to find some continuity at the position, and if Daley can at least remain healthy, some degree of trust should be built between him and Cam Erving leading to potentially better play. The only other real hope for an upgrade would probably come in the form of a trade, should Scott Fitterer decide he can fit another one of those into his schedule.
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