Buffalo Bills 2022 first-round cornerback Kaiir Elam never really took off as the kind of lockdown cornerback the franchise was hoping for.
In 29 starts through the last three seasons Elam picked off two passes and made 81 combined tackles. He struggled through injuries and ineffective play over the years before being replaced by Rasul Douglas and sixth round cornerback Christian Benford from the same draft.
Since being traded to the Dallas Cowboys just a few days ago, the former Florida Gator is telling all about what he thinks really happened through his first three years.
And it comes dow to opportunities he never really got.
"Coming to Buffalo, I was a kid that just wanted to improve and learn and really show off my talents," Elam said. "But I was always put in the back seat. 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."
Does Elam have a legitimate gripe?
Not really.
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Buffalo picked him in the first round and he was almost immediately beaten out by a sixth-round pick from that same class. Just because he's a first-rounder doesn't mean he was guaranteed playing time.
Benford earned the snaps that he never did. And that's not Buffalo's fault.
It's his.
Elam now gets a fresh start in Dallas, which because of Trevon Diggs' injury might offer him a real chance at first-team playing time ... and good for him.
But his remarks since arriving in Dallas seem childish at this point from a 23-year-old professional who in his heart surely knows it's on him to prove his worth moving forward.
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Copyright 2025 Athlon Sports. All rights reserved.
This story was originally published March 18, 2025 at 6:00 AM.
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