Cornerback Kaiir Elam played his first three seasons with the Bills after they made him a first-round pick. He played only 29 of a possible 51 regular-season games, starting only 12, before Buffalo dealt him to Dallas.
Elam is ready for a fresh start with the Cowboys, saying Monday the Bills placed him in the back seat.
“Coming to Buffalo, I was a kid that just wanted to improve and learn and really show off my talents, but I was always put in the back seat,” Elam said, via Ryan Talbot of newyorkupstate.com. “I continued to put my head down and work, continued to make plays throughout the season and in the playoffs and stuff like that. I just took everything I learned from there and all the baggage and improvements I felt like I needed to make and just packaged it up and worked on it every day. I don’t really see it as a negative. I really just see it as a growing opportunity for me to go shine somewhere else.”
Elam was unable to beat out the competition in Buffalo, with Christian Benford, Rasul Douglas and Dane Jackson among those who saw more playing time. Elam totaled 81 tackles, six passes defensed and two interceptions with the Bills.
Buffalo will receive a 2025 fifth-round selection and a 2026 seventh-rounder, while sending a 2025 sixth-round choice to the Cowboys along with Elam.
Outside corner Trevon Diggs will miss most if not all of the 2025 season after bone graft surgery on his left knee, and slot corner Jourdan Lewis left for the Jaguars. That gives Elam an opportunity to earn more playing time than he had in Buffalo when he was a healthy scratch for multiple games and played only 939 defensive snaps in his time there.
“I’m confident because I’m coming into a staff that truly believes in me,” Elam said. “I don’t think they would’ve made the move if they didn’t. . . . I feel like everything starts with an opportunity, so if I’m able to come in here and compete and show what I can do, that’s all I really would want. I don’t need a red carpet or anything like that. I just want to be able to earn it with a fair opportunity.”
