Bills place CB Elam on IR, ink veteran DT Joseph

BUFFALO, N.Y. — The Buffalo Bills placed cornerback Kaiir Elam on injured reserve Thursday with a lingering ankle injury. General manager Brandon Beane said Wednesday that the move was a possibility to get the Bills’ 2022 first-round pick fully healthy and allow his ankle to heal.

“I wouldn’t say he’s been a 100% healthy scratch, part of it has been it hasn’t worked out perfectly in the games so far,” Beane said. “… I know Josh Norman is here. In Carolina we drafted Josh in ’12 and I know there was multiple times we had to sit Josh down and I believe it was middle of his third year where the light came on and the next year, he really flipped the switch. So, I’m still very hopeful.”

In a corresponding move, the Bills signed veteran defensive tackle Linval Joseph, who was most recently with the Eagles, starting eight games last season. The move will help provide depth for the middle of the Bills defensive line after veteran DaQuan Jones suffered a quad injury that resulted in him being placed on injured reserve.

Coach Sean McDermott said that Elam aggravated an ankle injury from training camp in the team’s 14-9 win over the New York Giants in Week 6. Elam, who did not participate in practice Wednesday, was a full participant leading up to Week 8 but was limited in all of the practices leading up to Week 7.

“Kaiir is here working hard, he’s doing everything,” Beane said. “It’d be easy if he’s running the streets or not in his playbook, but he’s doing everything, he’s been getting treatment on the ankle pretty much around the clock when he’s here, and he’s a pro, he wants to do well. This game requires confidence and things like that, and things don’t go well, maybe your confidence drops a little bit and you got to ask Kaiir where that’s at. But we’re going to stay with him.”

Elam, 22, was a scratch for five games this season, including in Week 8 vs. the Buccaneers, when Norman, 35, was active to play special teams over Elam. As the nearest defender in coverage in the two games he started, Elam has allowed 9.6 yards per target, a team-high for cornerbacks, per Next Gen Stats data. He has allowed 10 receptions on 14 targets for 135 yards. The Bills traded for cornerback Rasul Douglas just before the trade deadline Tuesday with Tre’Davious White out for the season with a torn Achilles.

“He’s got ball production, visual player,” coach Sean McDermott said of Douglas. “So, I think those are two things that stand out the most, physical corner that tackles.”

Beane said that they did not consider trading Elam.

“Not everything has worked out perfect, but he’s a young player,” Beane said. “He’s halfway through Season 2. And I’ve gone back and looked at his college stuff. And I see it. I know what’s in there. We just, we got to get it out of him. We got to get his confidence up and make sure he gets back to 100%, however we do that.”