It’s been an offseason of change at the cornerback spot for the Kansas City Chiefs. Last month, they traded Trent McDuffie to the Los Angeles Rams, and then saw Jaylen Watson leave in free agency, only to join McDuffie in Los Angeles.
With those two starters out the door, the Chiefs are left with Nohl Williams, Kristian Fulton, and Christian Roland-Wallace. And the depth behind them isn’t great. Therefore, the Chiefs signed former first-round pick Kaiir Elam on Thursday in hopes of catching lightning in a bottle, per NFL insider Jordan Schultz.
Elam is looking to get back on track after spending parts of last season with the Dallas Cowboys and the Tennessee Titans. The Chiefs present the best option for Elam, given their needs, as Fulton’s first season in Kansas City was such a disappointment. Also, not to mention, Kansas City has seen Elam for themselves just a few times, dating back to his time with the Buffalo Bills.
Kaiir Elam Signing Is Perfect Low-Risk, High-Reward Move for Chiefs
The 24-year-old cornerback was traded last March from the Buffalo Bills to the Dallas Cowboys. Elam spent the first three years of his career in Buffalo, appearing in 29 games but making 12 starts.
The Cowboys hoped that the ex-Bills cornerback could emerge as an immediate contributor in their secondary. In fact, Elam started in Dallas’ first four games, where he struggled mightily in coverage. Opposing QBs completed 70.8 percent of their passes against the young cornerback, who allowed 15.8 yards per completion, three receiving touchdowns, and had a 147.4 passer rating against.
However, Elam’s playing time decreased in Week 5 as he was removed from the starting lineup. Elam eventually returned to the starting lineup in Week 7, where he showed some improvement over the next three games, allowing 12.7 yards per completion, a 61.7 passer rating, and zero TDs allowed.
But it wasn’t good enough to keep him in Dallas. In Week 11, he only played three special teams snaps and was ultimately cut in late November. Elam didn’t have to wait long for his next shot as he landed with the Titans, who were playing out the string. But Elam’s snaps were sporadic, as he played double-digit snaps twice between Weeks 13-17.
The fact that he couldn’t get more consistent playing time with the Titans, who had one of the league's worst pass defenses last season (230.5 yards allowed), is a bit concerning. However, Elam is getting another chance to prove himself with a Chiefs team that needs depth.
We know that Elam has the athleticism and speed (4.39 40-yard dash) to be an adequate starter at the NFL level; he now needs to put it all together. Perhaps being coached by the likes of Steve Spagnuolo can get him to that point.
We’ve seen the Chiefs develop multiple cornerbacks over the years, with L’Jarius Sneed, who was taken in the fourth round, becoming one of the league's better outside CBs during his tenure in Kansas City. Then, there was Watson, who was a seventh-round pick, developed into a contributor, and got paid in free agency to the tune of $51 million over three years.
Now, this isn’t to say that Elam will become Watson or Sneed, but it shows that turning it around with Kansas City is a distinct possibility. If it doesn’t work for whatever reason, the Chiefs will likely have options to replace Elam, as his signing doesn’t preclude Kansas City from drafting a cornerback later this month, which the Chiefs absolutely should do.
In the meantime, the AFC West powerhouse is banking on Elam and Kader Kohou, whom they also signed to a one-year contract last month, to help their secondary and make plays when called upon.