Did Buffalo Bills' Sean McDermott Reveal Role for CB Kaiir Elam vs. Jaguars?

Buffalo Bills cornerback Tre'Davious White will miss the rest of the season, meaning head coach Sean McDermott will be making decisions regarding Kaiir Elam and Dane Jackson.

First-round picks aren’t supposed to be healthy scratches to begin their second season. They definitely aren’t supposed to after making game-clinching interceptions in the playoffs.

Entering Week 5, Buffalo Bills cornerback Kaiir Elam can check off both of those boxes, as he's yet to take a snap in his second season after a rookie year that saw him play in 15 games (including postseason) while posting 47 total tackles, three interceptions and six passes defended.

But this offseason, he lost out on the starting job to second-year corner Christian Benford, and Dane Jackson is the team’s primary depth on the boundary.

To his credit, he’s remained steadfast in his support for Buffalo and its decision-makers amidst this adversity. Elam isn’t forcing his way out or blaming the coaches for his lack of opportunities. Perhaps that’s a cultural difference between Western New York and Chicago.

Regardless, star cornerback Tre’Davious White tore his Achilles in Sunday’s 48-20 win over the Miami Dolphins. It left an unfillable gap not only in the Bills’ defense but in the locker room as well. White’s character and leadership were raved about by teammates reacting to the injury.

Now without a starting boundary corner, head coach Sean McDermott will be faced with choosing the best substitute. Asked if Elam would start over the presumed top option, Jackson, or if they’d rotate, McDermott didn’t give much to cling onto.

Elam wins Buffalo a playoff game against the Miami Dolphins / © Gregory Fisher-USA TODAY Sports

“We’ll see how practice is today,” McDermott said on Wednesday.

Adding to the storylines of the Week 5 contest, Buffalo will travel to England to take on the Jacksonville Jaguars. Jacksonville, who spent last week across the pond, too, feels like a home team, despite the schedule’s insistence otherwise.

McDermott commented on the possibility of Elam finding his way back onto the playing field.

“Yeah, he’s done a good job,” McDermott said. “Kaiir is just a second-year player and Dane is a little more beyond that in terms of his number of years in the league and what he’s experienced and witnessed firsthand. So probably more of a new situation for Kaiir as far as that goes, of not playing.”

It seems, at least, that Elam is handling that as well as one could. A benching like Elam’s has to bruise one’s ego, but he continues to “work his butt off” while he continues to compete in practice.

“Now, potentially he could be called upon to play,” McDermott said. “He’s got to be ready.”

It isn’t yet clear how much playing time Elam will see on Sunday, or if he has a true chance at earning back that starting role. However, there’s little doubt that if Benford or Jackson goes down (or sees significant struggles) Elam would be the next man up.

To have someone of his pedigree waiting for an opportunity could be a good problem to have, even if it’s impossible to fill White’s shoes.

Whoever starts at corner in Sunday's game against the Jacksonville Jaguars in London will have a tough task taking on an elite trio of receivers. Mitigating White’s absence, though, is invaluable to a defense with Super Bowl aspirations.