Former Cowboys Trade Bust Resurfaces with Chiefs in Free Agency

Former Dallas Cowboys cornerback Kaiir Elam, who proved to be a bust after landing with the team last offseason, has found a new home in free agency.

According to his agent, Elam has signed with the Kansas City Chiefs.

A former first-round pick of the Buffalo Bills in 2022, Elam is joining his fourth team in his fifth season. Along with the Cowboys, Elam also spent time with the Tennessee Titans in 2025.

A forgettable Cowboys trade

Green Bay Packers running back Josh Jacobs runs against Dallas Cowboys cornerback Kaiir Elam — Green Bay Packers running back Josh Jacobs and former Dallas Cowboys cornerback Kaiir Elam. | Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images

The Cowboys acquired Elam in a 2025 offseason trade with the Bills that saw Dallas give up a 2025 fifth-round pick and a 2026 seventh-round pick for Elam and a 2025 sixth-rounder. Dallas needed help at cornerback at the time, but even giving up that much was considered a bad move by the Cowboys, considering Elam's dreadful stint in Buffalo.

Elam showed promise early on with the Cowboys, with the veteran cornerback ripping off multiple interceptions in practice at training camp, which led to some hype.

“He’s one of those guys that he’s got elite feet, elite change of direction, but I see him growing in the mental side of it,” head coach Brian Schottenheimer said. “I see him talking and studying splits with [cornerbacks coach David Overstreet II]. Change of scenery helps a lot of people. ... He’s been the same guy since he’s got here. And he’s playing with confidence.”

But as is far too often the case with offseason hype, the good we saw out of Elam did not last into the regular season, and instead the issues he had with the Bills manifested on the field in Dallas rather quickly.

Bills Kaiir Elam practices a few drills after the end of the official practice day. | Tina MacIntyre-Yee/Democrat and Chronicle / USA TODAY NETWORK

The Florida product appeared in 10 games (seven starts) and surrendered a passer rating of 105 when targeted while also giving up three touchdowns. It was very apparent that Elam was not cut out for the starting snaps he was given by Dallas and was getting exposed on the regular.

Things were so bad with Elam during his stint that the cornerback-needy Cowboys cut him loose late in November, confirming the mistake everyone knew Dallas had made in the first place.

Following his failed stint with the Cowboys, Elam latched on with the Titans, where he played in four games (no starts) and played better, giving up a passer rating of 44.9.

Kansas City had a clear need at cornerback with the departures of Trent McDuffie (via trade) and Jaylen Watson (via free agency) to the Los Angeles Rams. Elam should provide decent depth for the Chiefs, but they'd be wise not to depend on him for anything more than that.