Former Carolina Panthers Center Cleared to Return

A veteran offensive lineman is finally ready to rejoin the fray. According to NFL Network's Tom Pelissero, center Matt Paradis is now fully cleared to return to game action from an ACL tear and will begin meeting with interested teams.

Free-agent center Matt Paradis has been fully cleared to return to football by renowned knee specialist Dr. Robert LaPrade, who did Paradis’ ACL reconstruction last year, per source. Teams already have expressed interest in Paradis, now the top center available.
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) December 1, 2022

Paradis suffered his knee injury while playing for the Carolina Panthers in Week 9 of the 2021 regular season. Before the injury, he has been a durable and reliable pivot across his seven seasons in the league, starting 98 games combined for the Panthers and the Denver Broncos.

Paradis has never earned a Pro Bowl in his career, but he has proven an effective and sometimes great center. He earned an elite 90.2 overall grade from Pro Football Focus across his 1073 snaps for the Denver Broncos in 2016 and has never seen his grade dip below 63.4 in any season. He could provide a valuable stopgap to any team that finds itself with a sudden injury on the interior of their offensive line.

Paradis initially entered the league as the Broncos' 207th overall pick in the 2014 NFL Draft. He failed to see the field as a rookie but played every single snap in their 2015 Super Bowl-winning season.