The Buffalo Bills’ most shocking move ahead to Tuesday’s trade deadline was that general manager Brandon Beane
did not include cornerback Kaiir Elam in the deal.
The second-year player is on his way to becoming one of the Bills’ most disappointing first-round picks, joining the
ranks of Erik Flowers, Mike Williams, J.P. Losman, John McCargo, Aaron Maybin, and EJ Manuel.
However, as the Bills prepare for their toughest test of the season, Sunday night’s road game in Cincinnati, Elam
remains on the roster.
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It is unclear whether the Bills attempted to include him in the trade that sent Green Bay cornerback Rasul Douglas to
Buffalo, or if he was utilized as an asset to facilitate another deal. Beane will not share that information, but if Elam
was discussed and none of the clubs Beane spoke with were interested, it is quite an indictment.
During his 25-minute news conference on Wednesday, Beane emphasized that he is not ready to give up on Elam,
despite the fact that it has just been 1 ½ years since he began learning to play a difficult position in the NFL.
He cited two current cornerbacks on the squad – Douglas and Josh Norman, whom Beane helped choose for Carolina
in 2012 – as examples of players who battled early in their careers before turning things around, and Beane is hopeful
that Elam will do the same.
