49ers ink former Vikings flameout to bolster banged-up offensive line

Dealing with injuries in training camp, the 49ers signed former Vikings offensive lineman Pat Elflein to compete for a role.

The San Francisco 49ers are experiencing plenty of issues along their offensive line during training camp, the largest of which is All-Pro left tackle Trent Williams holding out as he awaits a new contract.

But injuries have popped up, too, including interior linemen Spencer Burford (hand) and Jon Feliciano (knee) missing practices.

The Niners have two rookies to whom they can turn, Jarrett Kingston and Dominick Puni, but some veteran help could certainly be warranted. Especially at center where San Francisco doesn't have a truly experienced backup to support the starter, Jake Brendel.

So, to help bolster the depth chart, the 49ers targeted a player who at least checks off the experience box.

49ers sign Pat Elflein, who struggled with Vikings before traveling around the NFL

On Friday, the Niners announced they inked veteran center, Pat Elflein, to a one-year deal.

To make room on the 90-man roster, they waived undrafted rookie lineman Briason Mays:

Elflein, 30 years old, began his pro career with the Minnesota Vikings back in 2017 after being selected in Round 3 of that year's NFL Draft out of Ohio State.

Despite spending three-plus years in Minnesota and starting 43 out of 44 regular-season games, Elflein nevertheless struggled and found himself benched by then-head coach Mike Zimmer.

The Vikings subsequently waived Elflein in 2020, and he was soon claimed by the New York Jets before signing on with the Carolina Panthers where he played in 2021 and 2022. In 2023, Elflein joined the Arizona Cardinals but spent the year on injured reserve.

Perhaps a change of scenery will open up the door for Elflein to have some sort of resurgence, but it's more likely he's just a training camp body who'll round out the depth chart and add some experience to a unit that could use it.

At best, he has long odds to make it to San Francisco's 53-man roster.

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