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After coming off injured reserve on Friday, Minnesota Vikings guard Pat Elflein had expected to return for his first game since September to face division rival Chicago on Monday Night Football.
Instead, the former Ohio State Buckeye was waived from the Vikings roster.
Elflein had successful thumb surgery and appeared to be back on track for a return to the field, but in a release Saturday morning, per Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network, he is now on waivers.
Source: The #Vikings have released G Pat Elflein. The veteran now goes on waivers. Just off IR, he’s healthy now and this gives him the opportunity to get some real playing time elsewhere.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) November 14, 2020
The Vikings’ third-round pick in 2017 out of Ohio State, Elflein started as a rookie and played 14 games under center for Minnesota. He broke his ankle in the NFC championship game, requiring offseason surgery.
He moved to guard in 2019 when Garret Bradley was drafted in the first round by Minnesota, and moved to right guard for 2020. He played one game, and injured his thumb in Week 1 and subsequently underwent surgery.
Scott Schultz covers Michigan State Football, along with Breaking News for B1G Football & Basketball for Saturday Tradition. He also serves as an Automotive News Editor & Writer, and Softball Writer elsewhere on the web. Follow him on Twitter @SRSchultz.