If you made a list of the least successful first-round picks over the last ten years, former Buffalo Bill Kaiir Elam would certainly be on that list. The 23rd pick in the 2022 NFL Draft, this Florida alum is now flipping the script with the Dallas Cowboys.
Elam’s deeply disappointing tenure in Western New York ended in March, as Dallas’s front office made a trade for the struggling cornerback.
In a late-round pick swap, the Cowboys were able to get a once-highly touted, low-risk option in the secondary, while the Bills recouped draft capital and moved on from what became a failed experiment.
Bills trading CB Kaiir Elam to Cowboys. (via @TomPelissero) pic.twitter.com/v6vlhq4OuY
— NFL (@NFL) March 12, 2025
As training camp has gotten rolling, however, it seems that Elam is capitalizing on his second chance.
Let’s discuss what we’ve seen from the former Gator, his path to significant playing time, and his overall outlook heading into a critical 2025 season.
Kaiir Elam: Turning Heads, Taking Names in Training Camp
I’ll cut right to the chase: Kaiir Elam has been balling out in camp, and people are noticing every single day.
As I’ll get to in a moment, this secondary is bruised and embattled with a general lack of depth and talent; Elam has, thankfully, been the complete opposite of that.
The 24-year-old seems to have made a major turn in his development and confidence. His seemingly daily training camp interceptions have made fans think the grass was greener outside of Buffalo for Elam.
Ultimately, they may be right.
We’re talking about a guy who entered the league with a known “raw” reputation attached; people weren’t expecting dominance right away, and his Bills struggles may have just been a combination of that and a loss of confidence.
Cowboys Secondary: Injured & Lackluster When Healthy
There is a reason Dallas went out and got Elam, despite his poor performance with the Bills. They clearly knew the secondary was a problem, and that’s been proven right.
Trevon Diggs still can’t play, and there is now tension between him and the front office. Rookie Shavon Revel is also out rehabbing; Caelen Carson went down with a 4-6 week injury; and DaRon Bland’s health is anything but a safe bet after last year.
Cowboys CB Caelen Carson suffered a hyperextended knee Sunday that will keep him out 4-6 weeks, according to sources. Thins out a position that’s been w/o Trevon Diggs, Shavon Revel, Josh Butler, who are on PUP/NFI, and DaRon Bland until Monday. Hence Christian Matthew addition.
— Todd Archer (@toddarcher) July 29, 2025
Aside from the medical problems here, it just isn’t a very talented crew.
Diggs and Bland are the headliners, of course, and I think highly of Revel’s future, but Carson, Josh Butler, and Andrew Booth behind them are far from strong.
Elam’s presence on the depth chart, if he can turn his career around in Dallas, is absolutely crucial to the defense’s success. It keeps things afloat in the absence of one of the two stars and keeps the pressure off the young guys to start immediately.
The Bottom Line: Poor Secondary, Good Play Gives Elam A Chance
This is all to say that if Kaiir Elam plays well, he will play a major role for the 2025 Dallas Cowboys. After his start in Buffalo, that is a major career turnaround.
The combination of an unstable secondary and this big-time training camp performance has put a spotlight on a guy previously declared a “bust.” He’s taking a rare career revival opportunity head-on, and it’s paying off.
Kaiir Elam interception and great celebration pic.twitter.com/Z26SatpgJV
— Jon Machota (@jonmachota) July 26, 2025
We’ve seen training camp heroes before, so it’s too early to say with any certainty that Elam has arrived, but the signs, momentum, and film show clear improvement.
In short, this is maybe the guy to keep watching as training camp unfolds. Elam is holding both the future of his career and the 2025 success of the secondary in the palm of his hand. It’s a big task, but one he seems up for right now.
Picking up other team’s failed first and second rounders is a smart plan. The current draft fad of drafting ‘supposed best’ without regard to need means very good players end up in schemes they are not built for or get lost because there is already a top starter in front of them. When day one picks don’t play, it embarrasses the FO and coaches who sour on the player even though it was the FO fault for not having a space for the player. Dallas is looking for the players based on NEED …a downgraded idea on draft day that becomes the focus the day actual football begins.
I knew Elam could be a good player!! And his problem in Buffalo wasn’t that he wasn’t any good, it was the coaches that just didn’t show him they believed in him!! I think they gave up on him too soon and didn’t do anything to help him after his rookie year!! But now that he’s with us, the coaches are showing they believe in him and it’s making him wanna prove them right!! The way a player plays isn’t all on the player, it’s on the coaches too, and the ones in Buffalo didn’t do a good job with Elam!!
And as far as our secondary goes, I have to disagree with you!! It’s not lackluster!! We have a real good group of corners!! With Diggs and Bland not being the only good ones we have!! Maybe you forgot what Mukuamu did against Chris Godwin in the playoffs!? But I haven’t, he is a talented corner, and he should be getting a lot more playing time than he’s been getting…. Especially in the slot!! And then Revel is gonna be a really good corner too!! So that’s 4 right there, and that’s not including Elam!! And if you’ve been paying attention, you would know that Elam isn’t the only one that’s had a breakout in camp, Andrew Booth has been doing some really good things in camp too!! So it looks like he’s finally having his breakout year this year!! And don’t forget that Thomas is getting reps at slot corner too, and he’s been pretty good too!! So that’s 6 or 7 good to really good corners we have, so that’s far from lackluster!! I think when the injured corners come back, we’re gonna be loaded at that position!! And until they come back, we’re still good and we’ll be fine until they get back!!
And as far as Bland and his injury goes, you can’t say just because he got injured last year, that he’s anything but a safe bet!! He’s going into his last year of his 4 year contract, and last year was the first time he’s ever missed time over an injury!! So he’s not injury prone, and there’s no reason to think he’s not gonna be able to make it all year with us!! If he was injury prone, and gets injured often, I would understand it, but that is NOT Bland!! So with all this being said, if I haven’t made it obvious enough, I completely disagree with your story!! I don’t think any of it is accurate!! And I’m sure I’m not the only one that thinks that either!!