Bills 1st-Round Pick Gets Sad Reality Check from Cowboys
The Buffalo Bills' recently traded cornerback Kaiir Elam to the Dallas Cowboys in a true give-away.
Buffalo sent a 2025 sixth-round draft pick to the Cowboys in exchange for a 2025 fifth-rounder and a 2026 seventh-rounder. Do the math on this and contrary to omne critic's take, nobody is "fleecing'' anybody.
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These were pennies being exchanged.
But now Bills Mafia gets to turn its attention to Dallas one more time.
Elam, the former first-round pick from 2022, never caught on in Buffalo and could not crack the permanent starting lineup here.
Dallas might be desperate enough, especially with Trevon Diggs still rehabbing and unlikely to start the season on the 53-man roster, to change Elam's status as a first-teamer.
But this week, a statement was made.
Not an insult.
Just a statement.
Elam, a star at the University of Florida, whose greatness has yet to translate to the professional game, was eligible this week to have his fifth-year option picked up. When a team does so, it's a sign. ...
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A financial commitment and a sign of faith.
Dallas, not surprisingly, passed on that opportunity - a sad reality check for a first-round pick from Buffalo.
Elam in his rookie year made six starts and gathered two interceptions. But ...
Things only went downhill from there.
Elam tore a ligament in this ankle prior to start of his second season in Buffalo. He tried to play through the injury, but seemed to hurt the ankle worse by running on it and ended up on injured reserve. He only played in three games that season.
Unfortunately for Elam, he was replaced by Christian Benford, who went on to play well and earn a lucrative extension.
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In 2024 the Bills suffered an injury in the secondary when Tre'Davious White went down with an injury. Coach Sean McDermott tried to use Elam in his stead and things again just did not work out.
Elam was on the field for only 35 percent of the snaps. That is when his future in Buffalo was soured.
Elam, still just 23, will likely be a one-year rental in Dallas unless he somehow proves to be an incredible revelation ... which is possible, of course.
But the fact is, the Bills gave up on Elam in 2025... and now the Cowboys are giving up a chance to keep him in 2026.
Related: Bills Mafia's Favorite Movie 'Sinners' Crushes At The Box Office
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