The Buffalo Bills made some big investments into their secondary in the 2022 offseason, adding reinforcements after Tre’Davious White suffered a torn ACL that was expected to keep him out for much of the coming season.
The Bills traded up in the first round to land cornerback Kaiir Elam, but he never quite grew into a replacement for White and has struggled to find a regular role in the defense. ESPN’s Bill Barnwell believes Elam’s time in Buffalo could now be coming to an end, with the team potentially moving him at the upcoming NFL trade deadline.
Bills Move on From ‘Rare Miss’
Barnwell noted that Elam never met expectations in Buffalo, starting for a stretch his rookie season but eventually being surpassed by Christian Benford, who was picked five rounds later in the same draft. Barnwell called Elam a “rare miss” for Bills general manager Brandon Beane, who has found success finding defensive talent throughout all rounds of the NFL Draft.
“Despite injuries opening up opportunities for him in the depth chart, he never seemed to convince McDermott he deserved steady playing time,” Barnwell wrote. “Injuries hit Elam last season, and while back healthy, he has played just 23 defensive snaps in 2024.”
Barnwell suggested Elam could hold value for the Indianapolis Colts, who lost breakout defensive back JuJu Brents to a knee injury. He proposed the Bills trade Elam to the Colts in exchange for a 2025 sixth-round pick.
“As a former first-rounder, Elam is owed $1.3 million over the remainder of 2024 and $2.6 million in 2025, all of which is guaranteed,” Barnwell wrote. “That’s not a huge sum of money, but the Colts won’t want to pay that much unless they think he has a reasonable shot at becoming a regular member of the active roster.”
Bills Could Make More Moves After Amari Cooper Trade
The Bills already made one pre-deadline deal to boost their offense, trading for Cleveland Browns wide receiver Amari Cooper. The team’s wide receiving corps has struggled at times this season as the Bills aimed to replace last year’s top receivers, Stefon Diggs and Gabe Davis.
McDermott said he wasn’t sure if Cooper would be ready to play in Sunday’s game against the Tennessee Titans, adding that the team is working to get him up to speed on the offense.
“First and foremost, we believe in the receivers that we already have in the room,” Bills coach Sean McDermott said. “We’ll see when Amari gets here and how we can get him up to speed and get him integrated into what we do and how we do things. It’s never about one guy. We’re thankful to have him, but it’s never about just one guy. It’s about the team, so we’re anxious to get him on board here and get rolling.”
There could be more moves ahead for the Bills. Beane said in an appearance on the “Pat McAfee Show” on October 16 that the team is still monitoring the trade market and could make more deals.
“We still got a few weeks before the deadline,” Beane said. “If we feel there’s something else that we need, or that can help us get over the top, we have been all-in all along. “