The Dallas Cowboys have faced some criticism this offseason due to their lack of viable perimeter threats behind All-Pro wide receiver CeeDee Lamb. But while that glaring weakness has taken most of the spotlight, Dallas is also facing significant uncertainty in their secondary.
The Cowboys attempted to restock their secondary by acquiring cornerback Kaiir Elam in a trade with the Buffalo Bills this offseason, but the team made it clear that the former first-round pick still has to earn his spot on the team by keeping him on what amounts to a one-year, prove-it deal.
Dallas elected not to exercise the fifth-year option for Elam’s rookie contract, ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler reported on Thursday. The decision doesn’t come as a surprise, considering the fifth-year option would have earned Elam a fully guaranteed salary of $12.7 million in 2026.
Kaiir Elam decision highlights uncertainty in the Cowboys secondary
The Florida product was selected with the No. 23 overall pick in the 2022 NFL Draft, but he failed to live up to expectations during his three seasons in Buffalo. Elam played in 29 of a possible 51 regular-season games and notched just 12 career starts. He totaled 81 tackles, six passes defensed and two interceptions with the Bills. In 2024, he recorded two passes defensed and 26 tackles across 13 games.
The Cowboys had a promising secondary tandem in All-Pro cornerbacks Trevon Diggs and DaRon Bland, but the coverage unit has suddenly fallen into a state of flux. Diggs put together two consecutive Pro Bowl seasons in 2021 and 2022, but have injuries derailed his career since; the 26-year-old played in just 13 combined games over the past two seasons, and he’s now expected to miss most of the 2025 season after undergoing bone graft surgery on his left knee. Bland is entering the final year of his contract and is poised to become a free agent next offseason, while the nickel spot is up for grabs after former Cowboys slot cornerback Jourdan Lewis signed with Jacksonville Jaguars in free agency this offseason.
Lewis’ departure and Diggs’ season-ending injury should give Elam an opportunity to earn more playing time in Dallas than he had in Buffalo, where he was buried behind players such as Christian Benford, Rasul Douglas and Dane Jackson.
The Cowboys added East Carolina cornerback Shavon Revel Jr. in the third round of the 2025 NFL Draft, but the rookie is also recovering from injury after suffering a torn ACL in September. Josh Butler started three games in Bland’s absence last season, but he’s also recovering from a torn ACL. Second-year cornerback Caelen Carson had an inconsistent rookie campaign that was cut short by a season-ending shoulder surgery.
Perhaps worst of all, the Cowboys lost the magic touch of former defensive backs coach Al Harris, who became one of the most well-respected young coaches in the league after he developed players like Bland, Diggs and Lewis.
Harris was among the assistant coaches that left Dallas in search of stability when Cowboys owner Jerry Jones parted ways with former head coach Mike McCarthy and struggled to find his successor. The extended period of uncertainty caused many of the team’s assistant coaches to seek a less chaotic coaching environment, and Harris bolted to become the Chicago Bears’ defensive passing game coordinator under new head coach Ben Johnson.
Dallas received a 2025 sixth-round selection and Elam in exchange for a 2025 fifth-round selection and a 2026 seventh-round selection. The Cowboys selected Oregon offensive tackle Ajani Cornelius with the sixth-round pick acquired from Buffalo, while the Bills replaced Elam by selecting Ohio State cornerback Jordan Hancock with the fifth-round pick acquired from Dallas.