The Cardinals signed Elflein to a one-year deal earlier this offseason after he was cut by the Panthers. The veteran center has started in all but one of the 65 games he’s appeared in for his career and hasn’t played in double-digit games since 2019. Hip surgery ended his 2022 campaign, and could be the reason for what is now a lost 2023 season.

Elflein was a cap casualty of the Panthers earlier this offseason, as the team opted to cut ties with him to save $4.2 million in cap space. Elflein ended last season on injured reserve after having surgery on his hip. He could earn a starting role on a Cardinals roster that’s already thin at multiple spots. The Cardinals also inked tight end Geoff Swain to a deal.

Elflein has a $7.06 million cap hit in 2023 and a release would save the Panthers roughly $4.2 million in cap space. This is presented in a broader context of Carolina wanting to save money to re-sign starting center Bradley Bozeman. Elflein started last season as Carolina's center, but was placed on IR in October and underwent hip surgery. This seems like a pretty strong case for a release. 

Elflein was placed on injured reserve because of the hip issue on Saturday. Per Wilks, Bradley Bozeman will continue to replace him in the lineup. Bozeman was a three-year starter with the Ravens before signing with the Panthers in the offseason.