FRISCO, Texas — With several new additions landing in Dallas to officially put pen to paper for the Cowboys, Kaiir Elam finds himself being one of them, though not acquired by way of free agency. Instead, the Cowboys decided to trade for the former first-round pick by striking a deal with the Buffalo Bills to acquire him, and Elam was all smiles following the news.
A native of South Florida who went on to become an All-SEC cornerback for the Gators, he's as excited about returning to southern weather as he is to suit up for the Cowboys.
"It's a blessing, man," he told Tommy Yarrish in an exclusive Q&A with DallasCowboys.com. "I was so excited to find out I was coming here. I'm just ready to get back down South and ready to prove myself right, help the team win and buy into the culture the new coaches have here."
The addition of Elam coincides directly with the return of Matt Eberflus to the Cowboys, this time as defensive coordinator, into a scheme that typically prefers taller, longer cornerbacks; and Elam fits the build in that regard.
He'll likely be looked upon early in his Cowboys' tenure to make an impact as All-Pro cornerback Trevon Diggs works his way back to an eventual return to the field at some point in 2025, and with the loss of Pro Bowl-caliber nickel corner Jourdan Lewis to Elam's home state of Florida in this year's free agency spree.
"I have a chip on my shoulder," Elam said of his current mindset. "I'm hungry. I'm ready to compete and win, no matter what aspect of the position it is. On the athletic side of the ball, I've always been a great athlete, but I feel like I've strengthened my mental and sharpened my game when it comes to the nuances of the things I didn't know as a younger player.
"Yeah, I'm excited."
Also noting how "awesome" it will be to line up with All-Pro DaRon Bland and, at some point, Diggs, Elam hopes to hit the ground running in every way possible — including the category of takeaways and anything else Schottenheimer and Eberflus, and their staff, asks of him.
"I'm here to prove something — everyday," he said. "I'm here to compete. I just wanna bring that to the building everyday. I want people to, when they see me, know I'm not playing around. I wanna compete and show this was a great idea, and that's all."
His first chance will be when the Cowboys begin their offseason program in early April.
