Kaiir Elam will have a lot to prove at Buffalo Bills 2024 training camp

ORCHARD PARK – One of the most interesting aspects of the Buffalo Bills’ training camp this summer at St. John Fisher University will undoubtedly be a fierce competition for spots at the wide receiver position.

But while you’re watching this happen, spend some time focusing on the guys on the other side of the line of scrimmage trying to stop those wide receivers from catching Josh Allen’s passes, because that’s going to also be a pretty intriguing battle.

With the departure of Micah Hyde and Jordan Poyer, neither safety is set in stone, and at cornerback, Kaiir Elam, the Bills’ 2022 first-round pick who has visibly underwhelmed over the course of his first two seasons with the team, will be under intense scrutiny. .

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It’s too early to call the cornerback a bust, but that won’t be the case if, by the end of the 2024 season, he’s still leading nowhere in Buffalo’s defense.

“I haven’t experienced anything like this in a few years,” Elam said Tuesday after an OTA workout at One Bills Drive. “I’m not going to lie, I’m not going to sit here and say I’ve been through this my whole life. Mentally, I feel like it’s been eating away at me. Well, not at all, it ate at me.

Before arriving in Buffalo, Elam had always been on the fast track to success. The son and nephew of former NFL players, it was almost his destiny that he follow in their footsteps. He did, but while his father Abram and uncle Matt combined for 97 starts in their careers, Kaiir’s first two seasons with the Bills were marred by injuries and inconsistent play that caused him either to become a reserve or to be inactive on match days.

“Every year I played football, I always grew and became the guy, I saw the accolades and the success,” he said. “Coming to Florida, people know this story. When I got to high school, same thing. In college, every time… I feel like every year I feel like I’ve grown and gotten a lot better.

But with the Bills, that hasn’t been the case. The player who has been excellent in man coverage for Florida in the talent-rich SEC hasn’t been able to fit into Buffalo’s zone coverage scheme. As such, he lost starts and playing time to Christian Benford, the Bills’ 2022 sixth-round pick, and when Benford was injured, to former seventh-round pick Dane Jackson who just go to Carolina in free agency.

This year, Elam has another chance to change its history. Jackson left, as did defensive backs coach John Butler, who was said to have no connection to Elam. Butler was replaced by Jahmile Addae who has 17 years of coaching experience at the collegiate level and, at 39 years old, might be able to get along better with Elam. At least that’s the hope.

“We’re on the same page, I would say,” he said of the relationship he’s beginning to forge with Addae. “I just pour (knowledge) into myself. I mean, he treats me very well but holds me to a standard, even when traveling. He always criticizes me and Christian, but it’s like we’re human. It’s been a great bonding experience because he really understands me as a human. And he wants to pour into me, but he also challenges me to be better.

Butler was a great coach who had 10 years of experience in the NFL, six of which were with Buffalo as he was a member of Sean McDermott’s original team in 2017. The Bills were one of the best teams in the NFL when it comes to pass defense, and Butler certainly deserves some. credit for that. Obviously, he had good relations with his troops.

Whatever the problem with Elam, Butler’s departure clears the table for the very young 23-year-old and it’s up to him to be better and win a job like the first-round pick was supposed to have already do.

“I have more confidence in myself than ever before,” Elam said. “I learned to appreciate the difficulties. And I also feel like it helped me become who I am now. So I just go out there and try to play for free and make games. Let’s just go back to what my coaches said.

Elam lost out to Benford and Jackson for a starting job early in 2022 while Tre’Davious White was still on the sidelines. In Week 3, he began a streak of six consecutive starts primarily due to injury to Benford and/or Jackson. Elam then injured his ankle against the Jets, missed two games and didn’t start again until the playoff loss to the Bengals, one he received after throwing an interception in the team’s victory. wild card against Miami.

In 2023, almost his entire season was marred by injuries, first a foot injury in training camp and then an ankle injury. He only played in three games (one against Pittsburgh in the playoffs) and his two starts were a direct result of injuries to Benford in the first and Jackson in the second.

“I think the foot deal bothered him more than he let on at the end of training camp, and yes, he was playing with it, but I don’t think he looked like himself there -down,” general manager Brandon Beane said. “You can’t imitate plays as long as he’s out. I think the best thing we did was let our medical team work on him and get him healthy again. And I think you’ve seen flashes of what he can do.

He’s right, there have been flashes, but Elam needs a lot more than flashes if he hopes to land a starting job this season.

“Now what we need to have a better idea of is: Can he do it more consistently?” » said McDermott. “Overall, he needs to continue to improve his game in all honesty. And we’ll see how it factors into what we do defensively.

Elam said he fully understands the expectations and believes the struggles and frustrations he has already endured will sustain him for the challenge ahead.

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