Cowboys Trade for Former First-Round Corner with NFL Bloodlines

DALLAS, TX — The Dallas Cowboys have traded for a former first-round defensive back.

The Dallas Cowboys have traded a 2025 fifth-round pick and a 2026 seventh-round pick to the Buffalo Bills for cornerback Kaiir Elam and a 2025 sixth-round pick.

The cornerback position was looking thin as Jourdan Lewis recently signed with the Jacksonville Jaguars, and starter Trevon Diggs will more than likely begin the year on injured reserve if he isn’t cut before then.

Elam was the 23rd overall pick in the 2022 Draft out of Florida. He also has a pretty good NFL bloodline as his father, Abram Elam, played for the Cowboys in 2006 and 2011, and his uncle, Matt Elam, was a first-round pick in the 2013 Draft by the Baltimore Ravens.

Injury-wise, Elam has had ankle issues in 2022 and 2023.

Elam helps the Cowboys as second-year corner Caelen Carson was set to be the other starter across from DaRon Bland.

Being a first-round pick, a team and general manager saw something in Elam coming out of college. A change of scenery and scheme could help put him in a better position to play.

This doesn’t take the Cowboys out of the hunt for a corner in the 2025 NFL Draft. Dallas still has 10 draft picks in the upcoming draft after this trade. The Cowboys interviewed Jahdae Barron out of Texas, Benjamin Morrison out of Notre Dame, and Ole Miss corner Trey Amos at the NFL Combine.

Dallas has still yet to address one of its biggest needs by bringing in a veteran wide receiver to play across from CeeDee Lamb.