Pat Elflein could be healthy enough to return to the field for Vikings OTAs
By Adam Patrick
The young Minnesota Vikings center is currently rehabbing from a fractured ankle that was surgically repaired back in January.
It was a tough loss for every member of the Minnesota Vikings’ roster following last season’s loss the Philadelphia Eagles in the NFC Championship. But for Vikings center Pat Elflein, the loss was a little more painful as he suffered a fractured ankle midway through the matchup.
Elflein underwent surgery to repair his injured ankle back in January and it was believed to be a successful operation. Seems like every offseason surgery is reported as successful, but Minnesota definitely knows that is not always the case (see Sharrif Floyd).
The young offensive lineman is currently rehabbing and according to the Pioneer Press’ Chris Tomasson, Elflein could possibly be healthy enough to participate in the Vikings’ OTAs this Spring.
Source: #Vikings Pat Elflein, who suffered fractured left ankle in NFC title game, was looked at last Wednesday by Dr Robert Anderson, who did Jan 29 surgery Surgery called "100 percent success'' In walking boot rehabbing in Twin Cities Should be able to do some spring drill work
— Chris Tomasson (@christomasson) March 20, 2018
It would be great if Elflein could be back on the field and practicing so soon. But at the same time, the young blocker shouldn’t be rushing back if not fully recovered since he is a very important part of Minnesota’s future success on the offensive line.
As a rookie in 2017, Elflein performed very well for the Vikings. He started in 14 of Minnesota’s 16 regular season games and played a tremendous part in the team’s big improvement in the running game compared to how they performed in 2016.
For his efforts last year, the Vikings rewarded the young center with a performance bonus of $271,000. The highest performance-based bonus given to any Minnesota player for 2017.
Next: Which 2018 free-agents will the Vikings re-sign?
The Vikings will probably be looking to add some help to the interior of their offensive line this offseason. But after Elflein’s play last year, the team should be set at center for quite awhile.