The Dallas Cowboys enter the 2025 season with a talented but injured cornerback room. Veteran Trevon Diggs and rookie Shavon Revel Jr. are both recovering from ACL injuries and are likely to miss the early part of the season. This leaves 2023 breakout DaRon Bland as the most trusted cornerback in the room.
That said, the Cowboys did trade for a former first-round pick this offseason. Dallas acquired Kaiir Elam and a 2025 fifth-round pick in exchange for a 2025 fifth-round pick and a 2026 seventh-round pick from the Buffalo Bills.
Though Elam has been an NFL bust to this point, he has the chance to live up to his draft position and earn a big contract in 2025.
#Cowboys Kaiir Elam (white shirt) working out ahead of OTAs and Mini Camp.
— Brandon Loree (@Brandoniswrite) May 15, 2025
Depending on the health of the corners, Elam could see starting reps on the outside as early as Week 1.
They’ll need the former first-round pick in a big way.
(🎥: @FlightSkillz on IG) pic.twitter.com/VQgJITCf1u
Kaiir Elam Can Earn a Huge Payday with a Breakout 2025 Season
Over the past five seasons, Cowboys fans have witnessed the likes of Diggs and Bland ascend to become some of the best cornerbacks in the league. This year, they are hoping the same can happen with Elam.
In three seasons with Buffalo, he played in 29 games (12 starts), recording 81 tackles, six pass deflections and two interceptions. Moreover, he has never graded above a 70.0 in pass coverage, according to PFF. Even so, Elam is coming off his best season in pass coverage, recording a 67.0 in 2024.
The 24-year-old showed improvement during OTAs and mandatory incamp in coverage. Following the second day of minicamp, Bryan Broaddus of 105.3 The Fan said, "Elam had another good day. There was another time where they tried to throw the ball inside to (CeeDee) Lamb and Elam was inside on that one and knocked the ball down."
He added, "They were trying to isolate CeeDee 1-on-1 with Elam and Elam was able to make a play ... It was nice to see him carry a couple different routes."
While not much can be taken from practices pre-training camp, hearing that Elam continued to make plays is encouraging for the Cowboys and him.
Despite Dallas having a new defensive backs coach this season, Diggs and Bland can still be good sounding boards for Elam to improve. If Elam shows he took a massive step forward in 2025, don't be surprised if he receives a lucrative contract during the 2026 offseason.