Cleveland Browns should put in claim on Pat Elflein

The Cleveland Browns should claim Pat Elflein

A former Ohio State star is going to be looking for a new home, and the Cleveland Browns should be interested in bringing him in. The 2016 Big Ten Offensive Lineman of the Year, Pat Elflein, was waived by the Minnesota Vikings on Saturday and can now be claimed by another NFL team.

Drafted in the third round in 2017, Elflein was a starting center his first two seasons in the NFL for Minnesota before moving to left guard in 2019 following the selection of Garrett Bradbury in the first round of the draft that year/

In 2020, he was moved again as he slid over to right guard but only played in one game before suffering a hand injury that sent him to IR. With that job being taken over by Ezra Cleveland in recent weeks, the team has vastly improved which led to this decision to move on.

For the Browns, putting in a claim on Elflein would make a lot of sense. They have had some injury concerns themselves with Wyatt Teller missing time this season and Chris Hubbard recently being placed on the COVID Reserve List.

Behind them, there’s not a lot of experience. Not only would the former Buckeye help there, but his ability to play center could also be invaluable. While the team does have rookie Nick Harris, he has no starts in his career and with Cleveland hoping to play for a Wild Card spot, it would be nice to have some insurance for the middle of the line — especially when that someone spent the first several years of his career with Kevin Stefanski.

Of course, the problem is that the Browns aren’t very high on the waiver order due to their 5-3 record. Still, they should be interested because you never know whether or not he will fall to them.