What of Elam now??

[MJS]

Look, everyone just spun their own narratives about Elam. Nobody knows anything for sure.

 

Elam is a young player on a rookie deal. We'll see what happens. If he comes to work and turns things around this year, or even next year, nobody will care that he was inactive for a few games in 2023.

[davefan66]

How do we know he was actively being shopped?  We don’t.

 

There are NFL players who have rode the bench and ended up being good players.  Dude has skills and was a first round pick on is on his rookie deal.  He will continue to be given the chance to play.  My guess at least next year, if he can’t get on the field, I’d expect him to be gone by next trade deadline.

[TAinLack.]

12 hours ago, JMM said:

Obviously the Bills tried to trade him. Possibly they never got a good offer, but it's just as likely no other team was really interested. Which again confirms to me my opinion, which is that the issues with him go well beyond physical and his " fit" in our scheme. So now what? Inactive the rest of the year? Try to give him one more chance? Most likely he gets traded again after the season.

back up for Billy Buffalo!

[John from Riverside]

I think we have ruined him and should’ve traded him

[AlCowlingsTaxiService]

12 hours ago, JMM said:

Hmm, let's see I posted an OPINION, on a message board. How OUTRAGEOUS! I mean if we dont speak on known 100% facts, then possibly the internet police should come for me. Shudder...Now let's see, local pundits that cover the team for a living stated this was likely. National pundits also suggested it, many on this board did as well. But hey , what do they know? Good enough? Remember though

, from now on, nobody on this OPINION board is allowed to state ONE, they can only comment on KNOWN FACT.  Assumption is STRICTLY PROHIBITED. Right?

This whole discussion probably could have been avoided had you refrained from using the word OBVIOUSLY 😂

[JMM]

10 hours ago, warrior9 said:

Never said you couldn't post an opinion.... Did your wife / girlfriend / little sister write this for you ? 

 

 

Aww what a clever lil response.  You truly are a " warrior".  A keyboard one. Now how shall I respond to your question? Hmm, let me try to place myself back in the mindset of a boy in 6th grade...nope. Ya got me " warrior". 🤣🤣 Well you enjoy your bliss.

[John from Riverside]

9 hours ago, Doc Brown said:

I hope he sent Douglas his playbook for the plane.

But did it have $100 bill taped to the last page

[Mr. WEO]

well....more Elam threads, obvs!!!

[JMM]

43 minutes ago, AlCowlingsTaxiService said:

This whole discussion probably could have been avoided had you refrained from using the word OBVIOUSLY 😂

That's OBVIOUS now. 😆 Yup for now on , for the more concrete members, you need to preface every post with IN MY OPINION, otherwise the "truth" squad hits you and hard!  " He made a assumption! Let's get em! " 😄 

[Haslett_Stomp]

1 minute ago, JMM said:

That's OBVIOUS now. 😆 Yup for now on , for the more concrete members, you need to preface every post with IN MY OPINION, otherwise the "truth" squad hits you and hard!  " He made a assumption! Let's get em! " 😄 

 

"Hear me out" always works well...

[DrDawkinstein]

Much like the improvements we've seen in Rousseau and AJE since Von's arrival, I'm hoping Douglas's skills and leadership rub off on Elam. Could be exactly what the kid needs in the CB room.

 

I also disagree we "obviously" tried to trade him. Nothing indicates that.

[warrior9]

42 minutes ago, JMM said:

Aww what a clever lil response.  You truly are a " warrior".  A keyboard one. Now how shall I respond to your question? Hmm, let me try to place myself back in the mindset of a boy in 6th grade...nope. Ya got me " warrior". 🤣🤣 Well you enjoy your bliss.

Good one, good one. 

[Mango]

10 hours ago, Aussie Joe said:

You don’t want to keep paying Taron $8m per year ?

 

Im gunna guess not ….

 

Actually ..he has been below average he past couple of weeks

 

Taron Johnson is actually likely a good candidate for an extension this offseason. His deal, like many, is backloaded. His cap number is $12.5M next year, which is way too high. 

 

I suspect we see the team cut Hines and Morse then extend Allen, Douglas Johnson. All 5 of those should free up about $25M +/-. I think Tre is a heavy cut candidate this offseason. And that really really hurts me to say, but it frees up another $6M. If the team can, I think they keep him, but we need to free a total of $41M right now. 
 

[BADOLBILZ]

24 minutes ago, DrDawkinstein said:

Much like the improvements we've seen in Rousseau and AJE since Von's arrival, I'm hoping Douglas's skills and leadership rub off on Elam. Could be exactly what the kid needs in the CB room.

 

I also disagree we "obviously" tried to trade him. Nothing indicates that.

 

 

Yeah they seem to be in a position where some teams cut bait so I understand why people tried to connect the dots but the dead cap hit alone if they dealt Elam made it difficult.    Most of their veteran contracts are already backloaded so they weren't going to find relief moving a vet.

 

The only thing I thought might happen is a player for player deal for someone else's struggling young player with promise(like Jameson Williams or Terrace Marshall).    

[Maine-iac]

I'd have more hope for Elam if it seemed he just wasn't getting the scheme and was still learning the defense.  None of that should make it so he can't tackle guys in the open field and that is why he was pulled when he did get to play.

[Big Turk]

This is interesting...Elam has been a VERY good zone CB when he has played and a bad man CB for the Bills. Which makes it all the more confusing. This goes along with the one breakdown on his film by a NFL film breakdown person who asked early last year if Elam was a zone CB because he looked so natural and was playing coverages perfectly...don't understand how he can't see the field when he excels at what the Bills play predominantly.

 

 

 

 

 

Edited November 1, 2023 by Big Turk

[SCBills]

2 minutes ago, Big Turk said:

This is interesting...Elam has been a VERY good zone CB when he has played and a bad man CB for the Bills. Which makes it all the more confusing.

 

 

 

 

Elam is easily the most confusing player I've seen in recent memory.

 

He was bad against Jax, but I would hope the Bills could admit that they set him up for a failure with being inactive all year and then starting him, under those circumstances, against the Jags in London.  

 

Outside of that game, he's been just as good.. if not better, than Dane Jackson. 

[Big Turk]

1 minute ago, SCBills said:

 

Elam is easily the most confusing player I've seen in recent memory.

 

He was bad against Jax, but I would hope the Bills could admit that they set him up for a failure with being inactive all year and then starting him, under those circumstances, against the Jags in London.  

 

Outside of that game, he's been just as good.. if not better, than Dane Jackson. 

 

And they kept having him play man, which he has not been good at in the NFL instead of zone which is the preferred defense McD plays which he is very good at.  I don't get it...were they hoping he would be like Tre and they would be able to use him to play man more and free up coverage options in other places?

[Jauronimo]

Super Bowl MVP

[Bleeding Bills Blue]

7 hours ago, davefan66 said:

How do we know he was actively being shopped?  We don’t.

 

There are NFL players who have rode the bench and ended up being good players.  Dude has skills and was a first round pick on is on his rookie deal.  He will continue to be given the chance to play.  My guess at least next year, if he can’t get on the field, I’d expect him to be gone by next trade deadline.

 

They really have their hands tied, his contract is guaranteed and theres 2 full years left.  Trading him next year gets you out of guaranteed base, and you have less of a bonus burden you can spread.  Jackson (UFA) gets replaced on the roster next year by douglas, white is back (depending on the draft direction he could be a cap casualty), you have benford, and then Elam. 

 

I would suspect one of the late picks at least is used on a corner to either push elam off the roster, or at least potentially find a project who projects as a better fit in what we do.  Elam likely gets every chance to make an impact and the team in that scenario, and if he doesn't they can try and trade him.  His contract next season would be 2yr 4.5M for the acquiring team.  This is pretty much the going rate for a depth corner, and he offers more portential and long-term upside than a 30 year old ronald darby for example (darby got 1yr 1.7M this past year).  We wouldn't see much here other than a pick swap in a trade as his value is cratered though.  

54 minutes ago, Big Turk said:

 

And they kept having him play man, which he has not been good at in the NFL instead of zone which is the preferred defense McD plays which he is very good at.  I don't get it...were they hoping he would be like Tre and they would be able to use him to play man more and free up coverage options in other places?

 

We man-match quite a bit though, and we were trying to create some pressure and muddy the reads.  Bail coverage is fine, but he was giving up a ton of space and not closing.  He seems to lack confidence at the moment - he was playing really safe.