One of the knocks on Elam coming out of college was that he was a little grabby sometimes, but he was only called for three penalties that opponents accepted, so that didn’t play too much of a role in his season. He was tasked with shadowing Tyreek Hill when the Bills and the Miami Dolphins played, and in all three contests, he was able to limit big plays against one of the league’s preeminent deep threats. However, as the season wore on and he received more opportunities, Elam played very well in some tough spots. Key statistics: 41 tackles, 1 tackle for loss, 4 pass breakups, 2 interceptionsĮlam looked like he was going to be a huge disappointment early on when he was beaten out for a starting job by Christian Benford in spite of Buffalo using the No. Playing time: 13 games (6 starts), 477 defensive snaps (45.39% of team total), 25 special teams snaps (6.1% of team total) Kaiir ElamĬontract status for 2023: Signed second year of four-year rookie contract ($3,111,548 cap hit $11,201,572 dead-cap charge if cut or traded) The offseason will be an interesting one for the former Villanova standout. There has been talk of moving Benford to safety next season, but given his success at corner, that may not come to pass. The problem is that he faced a plethora of injuries throughout the season, including a fractured hand and an oblique injury that led to a stint on injured reserve. When Benford was healthy, he far outplayed his draft pedigree, fitting right into the defensive scheme and acting as a de facto CB1 given the struggles of the player across from him. The sixth-round draft pick was the second of Buffalo’s draft choices at corner this year, but he was the one who earned the starting gig for the season opener against the Los Angeles Rams. Key statistics: 24 tackles, 1 tackle for loss, 5 pass breakups, 1 interception Playing time: 9 games (5 starts), 363 defensive snaps (34.54% of team total), 43 special teams snaps (10.49% of team total) In the penultimate edition of the State of the Buffalo Bills’ roster heading into the 2023 NFL season, we profile the cornerbacks.Ĭontract status for 2023: Signed second year of four-year rookie contract ($918,569 cap hit $145,707 dead-cap charge if cut or traded) The good thing for the Bills is that they seem to have four legitimately excellent corners on the roster. Will Buffalo add some back-end depth at corner? I certainly hope so, as this past season’s wild spate of injuries proved the old adage that you truly cannot have enough corners. The danger with that, of course, is that they can’t necessarily rely on people to continue on an upward trajectory year after year.
Of the five top corners from last season, four of them are under contract for the 2023 season - in fact, they’re all signed through at least 2025 - so the Bills could easily maintain the status quo here if they so choose. The Buffalo Bills have a very good defensive secondary, and while the safety position may be in a state of flux at the moment, the corner position is decidedly more stable.
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