OXNARD, Calif. – Ever since the Cowboys acquired cornerback Kaiir Elam from the Buffalo Bills in exchange for a 2025 fifth-round pick and a 2026 seventh-round pick, he's made a name for himself by making plays.
Throughout OTAs and even now into the start of training camp, the former first-round pick out of Florida in 2022 has taken advantage of his fresh start in Dallas as the Cowboys try to shore up their cornerback room that's raddled with injuries. Elam was constantly breaking up passes during the offseason program, and plucked an interception on the second day of practice in Oxnard.
The formula for Elam has been simple: Continue to show up and play his role.
"Just trying to keep the same motto, I just want to be a consistent dawg," Elam said. "Every day, coming to work and be a guy that my teammates and my coaches can rely on to do his job and make plays. That's it."
For cornerbacks, confidence is everything. Even though there were some tough stretches during his time with the Bills, Elam's experience and the Cowboys' coaching staff has kept him confident in himself.
"My experience of being in the league and putting in work has allowed me to be so confident in myself, in my game," Elam said. "I just credit that to my coach, coach Eberflus, coach Andre [Curtis], coach [David Overstreet], they do a good job of just instilling confidence and telling me I'm the best in the world."
Turnovers have been a constant for the Cowboys' defense through three practices, with two interceptions and a fumble being forced by the defense in Thursday's third practice alone. Elam credits new defensive coordinator Matt Eberflus constantly asking his players to play the ball for the recent results.
"I really feel like it starts from the top down, coach Eberflus has done a good job of emphasizing us being relentless when it comes to our effort and also being relentless and violent when it comes to our finishes." Elam said.
"Every play's not going to be perfect, but with our effort, with our strength, and with our style of play, we're going to try to get the ball back to the offense."
So far, Eberflus has made a good impression on his new group in his second stint with the Cowboys.
"He's great, full of energy," Elam said. "Got us really high on effort, finish, he coaches effort first. So that's why everybody's flying around. Everybody's trying to strain as much as possible… it's something we appreciate because it gets the best out of us."
It's Elam's first time playing in Dallas, but he's been plenty familiar with the Cowboys. His father, Abram Elam, played safety for the Cowboys in 2006 and again in 2011. Now, Elam's hoping to take the lessons he learned growing up from his father and apply them for the same team Abram played for 14 years ago.
"Just toughness," Elam said. "[He] had a heck of a work ethic, just tough as nails. My dad was undrafted, so I guess he instilled that to me just to have that same work ethic and that same hunger. I went in the first round, that doesn't mean anything. Just continue to prove yourself every single day, continue to learn and grow."
