His 58 defensive snaps of work against the Miami Dolphins complete and his left shoulder back in place after a third-quarter injury, Buffalo Bills cornerback Kaiir Elam was asked a simple question: How fun was that?
Elam grinned widely. He had played exactly 5% of the Bills’ defensive snaps (26 of 520) in Weeks 1-8, but started against the Dolphins because of Christian Benford’s wrist injury.
“It was a great day,†Elam said. “I was prepared and that gave me confidence to go out and play well.â€
Bills cornerback Kaiir Elam dives to recover a third-quarter fumble in Sunday’s win over the Miami Dolphins.
A great day that followed a long wait. Stuck behind Benford and Rasul Douglas at the outside cornerback position, Elam – the Bills’ first-round pick in 2022 – put in the extra work before and after practice to be ready for the opportunity. He mostly delivered, recovering a third-quarter fumble and making five tackles. Benford is expected to return Sunday at Indianapolis, but at least Elam saw some playing time.
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“I learned I could go out there and compete against the best and play meaningful snaps,†Elam said after Thursday’s practice. “For sure, it was (reinforcement).â€
Said Douglas: “Kaiir’s been ready. He’s been practicing. He doesn’t complain. He just puts his head down and works. We all see it. He can play in this league. I hope he knows it, but we tell him.â€
Elam’s time with the Bills has been documented. Expectations befitting a first-round pick. … Started seven games (regular season and playoffs) in 2022 and had three interceptions. … Tried to play through an early 2023 ankle injury before he was shut down; he played only five total games. … Backup this year to Douglas and Benford.
One thing you can’t question about Elam is his ability to be around the football. In 29 career games, he has 73 tackles and four interceptions. His fumble recovery against Miami led to a Bills touchdown.
“It was good to get him out there,†cornerbacks coach Jahmile Addae said. “He did some things that were redeeming – got his hands on the football, was active in (run) support and was assignment-sound for the most part. There is growth to be had, but I’m encouraged by what he did.â€
The benefit for the Bills and Elam moving forward is he got the first game out of the way. If he’s called upon to play later in the season, it won’t be his first significant action since late August. Will he become a regular starter in Buffalo? He’ll get every chance next year if Douglas leaves in free agency. But to Elam’s credit, he is doing all of the right things to stay ready and keep improving. His teammates notice.
“Super-proud of him,†safety Damar Hamlin said. “But I expected nothing less. He’s an elite ballplayer, he was just in a tough situation waiting for his opportunity. But he got one and he maximized it.â€
Quick kicks
1. Race to the bottom. Seven NFL teams have only two wins through nine weeks, which seemed like a high number, so I went back 20 seasons. The two-decade average is 6.6 teams per season. Each year, there have been at least four teams with only two wins through nine weeks. The most were nine teams in 2008, eight teams in 2005, 2009, 2011 and 2019-20.
2. Touchdowns, third downs. The Bills’ 13 rushing touchdowns have averaged 9.0 yards in distance, the long a 49-yard score by James Cook in Week 2 at Miami. Quarterback Josh Allen’s 17 touchdown passes have an average distance of 16.3 yards, the long a 63-yard score by Ray Davis in Week 9 against Miami. … Breakdown of third-down offense – 13 of 30 (1-3 yards to go), 15 of 32 (4-7 yards to go) and 11 of 40 (8 or more yards to go). … Third-down defense – 15 of 30 (1-3 yards), 17 of 32 (4-7 yards) and 12 of 47 (8 or more yards).
3. No gloves Dorian. As long as the Bills play inside or in favorable weather, don’t expect to see linebacker Dorian Williams wearing gloves.
“I don’t think I’ve been wearing them since high school,†he said. “I like to feel the (opponent’s) jersey and I play more aggressively without gloves. Unless it gets a little chilly out there and the hands get cold, I don’t (need them).â€
No gloves leads to all kinds of scratches and nicks, but Williams presented his hands out (palms down) for my inspection and they appeared clean.
“They’re pretty good,†he said. “Early in the season, they got cut up. I didn’t have too many turf burns, but they hit a lot of facemasks and got them bloodied up.â€
4. Draft watch. Michigan plays at No. 8 Indiana on Saturday (3:30 p.m., CBS) and the Hoosiers are led by defensive end Mikail Kamara (No. 6 jersey). Kamara played at James Madison before following coach Curt Cignetti to Indiana. In nine games for the Hoosiers, the 6-foot-1, 265-pound Kamara has 9½ sacks among his 14½ tackles for lost yardage.
5. Extra points. Referee Scott Novak and crew get their first Bills game of the season on Sunday. The home teams are 7-1 in Novak games this year and he has had games of 15, 19, 13, 16 and 13 combined penalties. … The Bills have a 62-17 advantage in points off takeaways this year. Entering Week 10, they are tied with Detroit for first in turnover differential (plus-11), tied for fourth in takeaways (15) and tied for second in fewest giveaways (four). They have not had a negative differential in any game this year compared to eight games last year. … Defensive end Greg Rousseau has at least one pass-rush disruption in eight games – his totals according to my charting are 4½ sacks, 10 knockdowns and seven pressures for 21½ disruptions. … Bills receivers have drawn 10 opponents’ penalties this year – Keon Coleman (four) and Mack Hollins/Khalil Shakir (three apiece). … I’ve booked the Bills with 53 missed tackles. … Allen is 6 of 6 on converting third-and-1 rushes. … Kicker Tyler Bass’ 43 touchbacks were tied for the league lead with Baltimore’s Justin Tucker (entering the Ravens game on Thursday).
