Cowboys Insiders Agree On Camp's No. 1 'Surprise Starter'
FRISCO - The Dallas Cowboys underwent a great deal of change this offseason.
After hiring a completely new coaching staff, the Cowboys front office worked numerous free agency deals and four trades to tighten up gaps in the roster following a disappointing 7-10 season.
Advertisement
One of those trades was to acquire cornerback Kaiir Elam, who the Buffalo Bills gave up in exchange for low-value draft picks.
Elam joins a new team for the first time in his career, but the Cowboys, in a way, already feel like home.
Kaiir's father Abram Elam earned a roster spot with the Cowboys in 2006 after going undrafted. He didn't get much action as a rookie and bounced around the league for a few seasons before returning to Dallas in 2011.
Abram, a safety, started all 16 games in the secondary that season, as Kaiir - 10 years old at the time - watched his dad make an impact for "America's Team" with 68 tackles.
Advertisement
"Kind of just a surreal moment," Kaiir said once he heard he was joining his father's old team. "A full-circle moment."
And that circle now figures to put the younger Elam in the starting lineup here, per two of the most veteran Cowboys beat writers.
ESPN recently went team-by-team to pinpoint the biggest offseason workout "surprise.''
For the Cowboys, that guy is Elam.
Wrote Todd Archer: "He flashed on numerous occasions in the OTAs and minicamp. He had multiple interceptions and dropped two more. He also showed the ability to run with receivers. Maybe things change when the pads come on in training camp, but given the uncertainty the Cowboys have at cornerback with Trevon Diggs and third-round pick Shavon Revel Jr. working back from knee surgeries, they need Elam to be a factor."
Advertisement
Our Mike Fisher goes a step beyond that, writing, "While Kaiir struggled finding a solid role with Buffalo after being a first-round pick who didn't expectations as a young player, that pedigree is undeniable. And so was his work in minicamp.
"I think they brought him here to be a starter. And so far, he's lived up to that.''
Elam clearly thinks he got a raw deal in Buffalo, claiming, "I was always put in the backseat. ... I don't need a red carpet or anything like that. I just want to be able to earn it with a fair opportunity. ...
"I'm confident because I'm coming into a staff that truly really believes in me,'' he said. "I don't think they would've made the move if they didn't want to see the best for me."
Advertisement
Related: Cowboys And Micah Parsons Dealing With One Final Contract Holdup, Per Report
Related: Cowboys' Eberflus Explains How Dak Prescott Encouraged Return to Dallas
This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jul 2, 2025, where it first appeared.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
26 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Rockies closer Seth Halvorsen placed on injured list with an elbow strain
DENVER (AP) — The Colorado Rockies have put closer Seth Halvorsen on the 15-day injured list with a right elbow strain after he had to leave Saturday's win over Pittsburgh. Interim manager Warren Schaeffer said at the time the injury didn't look good — after the right-hander left after throwing five pitches in the ninth inning. Halvorsen leads the Rockies with 11 saves. Colorado also recalled right-hander Nick Anderson and catcher Braxton Fulford from Triple-A Albuquerque on Sunday, and the Rockies optioned infielder Michael Toglia to Albuquerque. The 25-year-old Halvorsen is 1-2 with a 4.99 ERA this year. He made his big league debut in August of 2024. ___ AP MLB:
Yahoo
26 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Play ball, take 2: The MLB Speedway Classic resumes at Bristol after rain suspension
BRISTOL, Tenn. (AP) — A record crowd for a regular-season Major League Baseball game got to see all the pomp and pageantry with the MLB Speedway Classic before the rain washed out the game itself in the bottom of the first inning. Fans returning Sunday only wanted to watch the Atlanta Braves and Cincinnati Reds play ball. They enjoyed enough of star Tim McGraw and Pitbull in the rain that suspended the first MLB regular-season game in the state of Tennessee. 'We got to see all of that (Saturday), so as long as we see game today I think we'll be good,' Cindy Lowe of Mount Airy, North Carolina, said. Craig Morton agreed. He and his family, with three children, were ready to see baseball even if Morton is the Reds' fan surrounded by relatives rooting for the Braves. They had a good time seeing McGraw and country singer Jake Owen. Sunday was dry at Bristol Motor Speedway even with overcast skies. 'We're really glad that they played the game today instead of last night because we sat here a couple hours in the rain and everybody was saturated even with rain gear,' Morton said. 'The kids are happy so we're happy.' This MLB Speedway Classic was first announced nearly a year ago as part of Commissioner Rob Manfred's push to take MLB to places where baseball isn't played every day live. MLB played a game at the 'Field of Dreams' movie site in Iowa in both 2021 and 2022. Alabama and North Carolina, too. MLB didn't try to sell every ticket inside the speedway that drew 156,990 for the Battle of Bristol college football game in 2016. The track with a racing capacity of 146,000 meant the final attendance number could reach 90,000 or more even with sections blocked off. The previous paid attendance of 84,587 was set Sept. 12, 1954, when Cleveland Stadium hosted the New York Yankees. Simply canceling this game wasn't an option. The Reds are in the chase for a wild-card spot, and this is the last time these teams meet this season. Teams had police escorts to make sure they got back to Bristol on Sunday. For fans, the commute back to Bristol Motor Speedway, billed as 'The Last Great Colosseum' with its history as a half-mile bullring of a racetrack, was easier for some than others. Steven Long of Atlanta, Georgia, was on a party bus to his hotel in Knoxville with a bunch of distributors. He drove the 110 miles back to Bristol on Sunday by himself even though he had hoped to be driving home. He couldn't miss the first MLB game at a racetrack. 'I had to come back,' said Long, who wore his Braves jersey hoping for a win. MLB will be announcing an attendance figure later Sunday. Officials already knew this event would draw a record crowd with 85,000 tickets sold as of Monday. The big question Sunday was how many people would return for baseball itself after the big party that MLB and Bristol threw for fans Saturday. For Lowe and Jason Lawson, this is a moment they couldn't miss after buying tickets in May. 'The history, the nostalgia of Bristol Motor Speedway combined with Major League Baseball all in one I think,' Lowe said. Long was being joined by a couple of friends. He saw one benefit of returning even if others chose not to. 'We'll have more space around us, so we won't be on top of each other,' Long said. Indeed. Fans had plenty of room to spread out, dance and enjoy the capping event of the MLB Speedway Classic. ___ AP MLB: and AP auto racing:
Yahoo
26 minutes ago
- Yahoo
38-year-old Neil Magny sets goal to re-enter UFC welterweight rankings
LAS VEGAS – Don't count Neil Magny out of the world's best just yet. Following an impressive TKO win over Elizeu Zaleski dos Santos, Magny, 38, made it clear that he intends to work his way back to the official UFC welterweight rankings, and be once again among the top 15 fighters in his weight class. Magny (30-13 MMA, 23-12 UFC) stopped Zaleski dos Santos (25-10-1 MMA, 11-6-1 UFC) this past Saturday in the main card of UFC on ESPN 71 – which took place at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. The first goal for Magny was to get back in the win column, and with that checked out, he now looks up the top 15 of the welterweight division. "I tell everybody, you just have to set those goals and start knocking them out," Magny told MMA Junkie at the UFC on ESPN 71 post-fight press conference. "Goal 1 was to go out there a d get a win, that part is done. Now let's go find the next opponent, and hopefully it gets me closer to the rankings, and before you know it, I'm right back in there, ready to go." Magny, who's been fighting in the UFC since 2013, was coming off stoppage loses to young contenders Michael Morales and Carlos Prates prior to UFC on ESPN 71. With the win, not only was he able to stop a skid, but he also furthered his record for the most wins in UFC welterweight history. Despite nearing 40 years of age and having over 40 professional MMA fights, "The Haitian Sensation" is still feeling good, and very much liked the way he performed against Zaleski dos Santos. "Man, I felt great," Magny said. "Elizeu is a great opponent, he's a veteran as well. He made some really good adjustments in his training camp to come out here and fight in a way he thought he had the best chance of winning. He definitely pulled a different approach than what we're used to seeing from him in film. It just made him be an offensive grappler in that fight, but we're both veterans, and we figure out a way to get it done." This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: 38-year-old Neil Magny sets goal to re-enter UFC welterweight rankings
