Should Bills Trade 1st-Round CB 'Bust' Kaiir Elam?
This is not necessarily about how Kaiir Elam performed in the Buffalo Bills' 24-21 preseason finale win over the Chicago Bears, but rather, how long it took for the 2022 first-round NFL Draft pick to be freed to perform.
And that is the stuff that trade exploration is made of.
Tre’Davious White is the obvious answer at one cornerback spot. But as this summer has unfolded, it has become increasingly clear that the No. 2 cornerback job is battle between Dane Jackson and Christian Benford. ... and that leaves Elam to have to live off second-half table-scrap playing time.
Jackson had been the starter in the previous two exhibition games. This time, it was Benford's turn, and we bet his work has convinced Buffalo coaches that if there is a gap between Jackson and Benford for that CB2, it is a narrow gap.
The Bills have three capable outside cornerbacks? This is a good thing. Except ...
The draft investment in Kaiir Elam - who again, may have played at a solid level against Chicago - should have ideally paid off by now, with him as a starter ... or a third corner ... or something.
Elam played here in the second half, as he did a week ago. That is going to naturally lead to speculation that the team could trade him ... but there is a problem: Elam's value at this moment could not possibly be lower. Is he a "bust,'' as guys in this spot are so frequently labeled? Is he a bad fit in this system? (If so, shame on the Bills.) Is he salvageable in a way that makes a former first-round pick, who is still just ... years old, worth way more than the junk pick that would surely be offered in trade?
That last answer seems like the best one ... with the Bills owing it to themselves to continue working toward the selection of Elam having a positive outcome.
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