“This guy was terrible” - Cowboys CB Kaiir Elam faces backlash from NFL fans after throwing shade on Bills 

Cornerback Kaiir Elam might think twice the next time he decides to take a shot at his former team, the Buffalo Bills. The former first-round pick by the Bills in 2022 was traded to the Cowboys for a pair of late-round pick swaps.

In his first comments as a Cowboy, Kaiir Elam claimed his former team deprioritized him.

“Coming to Buffalo, I was a kid that just wanted to improve and learn and really show off my talents. But I was always put in the back seat.”

He stated that he now wants a fair opportunity, despite failing to beat out the likes of Christian Benford, Rasul Douglas and Dane Jackson at the Bills. He will have to carve out a role in Dallas, with the starting cornerback spots seemingly secure.

The Cowboys have Daron Bland and Trevon Diggs in the two starting cornerback positions, so Elam would either have to play out of the nickel or beat them out.

He added, “I don’t need a red carpet or anything like that. I just want to be able to earn it with a fair opportunity.”

Kaiir Elam's comments infuriated the Buffalo Bills community on Reddit:

User pot8odragon wrote: “This guy was terrible when he played for Buffalo. He should be happy the Cowboys are giving him a job at this point”

Bills fan AvocadoHank agreed, “Literally felt like a miracle we basically got a pick swap for him lol”

This Bills fan wondered what would have happened if the Chiefs didn’t take Trent McDuffie: “Sometimes I think of a world Kansas City didn’t trade ahead of us and got McDuffie and we settled for Elam. Maybe I’m overestimating it but that was one of the more impactful trades in the last 5 years.”

In the 2022 draft, the Kansas City Chiefs moved up from 29th overall to 21st to pick cornerback Trent McDuffie. The Bills would then pick Kaiir Elam two picks later. McDuffie has since become a two-time Super Bowl Champion and two-time All-Pro.

Even this Chiefs fan conceded things would have worked out differently if the players swapped places.

He replied: “I do think that as close as our games have been, there's a really good chance you pull off at least one playoff win against us had you all ended up with McDuffie and we settled for Elam. Though to be fair there's probably a lot of scenarios that tip the margins they're so thin.”

This fan added that Elam lost his starting position to Christian Benford, who was in the same draft class and picked in the sixth round.

He wrote: “He struggled as a DB in Sean McDermott's system. Not an easy feat. He was drafted in the first round and was immediately beat out by a player taken in the 6th round of the same draft.”

Bills trade Kaiir Elam to the Cowboys

The Bills essentially gave up on their first-round draft pick after three seasons. They sent Kaiir Elam and a 2025 6th-round pick to the Cowboys for a 2025 5th round pick and a 2026 7th round pick. Elam now gets to revitalize his career in Dallas.