It wouldn't be a Dallas Cowboys offseason without some controversy. Of course, the Micah Parsons contract saga and eventual trade took center stage and did well to distract from some other questionable moves by the front office.
Acquiring former first-round picks was a theme of Dallas' offseason. Not only did they trade for Kaiir Elam and Kenneth Murray, but they signed Solomon Thomas, Dante Fowler, and Payton Turner. Thomas has been the clear standout of a group that is otherwise comprised of disappointments.
Elam and Murray have been unmitigated disasters, which aligns with how their respective careers have unfolded. While Murray has had the occasional good game this season, Elam arguably doesn't belong on an NFL roster, and it showed again in Sunday's loss to the Broncos.
Cowboys' decision to trade for Kaiir Elam has backfired spectacularly
A bad player playing poorly every week? Who could've seen this coming?
Elam's coverage is a problem in and of itself, but I'm not sure I've seen a cornerback display worse run fits than Elam did against the Broncos. It's baffling he's made it to this point as a football player with how allergic he is to tackling. He finished the game with a 27.4 run-defense grade, per PFF.
While the defensive line and linebackers had a brutal day at the office, Elam was also responsible for multiple big runs simply because he took the wrong angle. He doesn't belong on the field, but the Cowboys also didn't have any alternatives.
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Second-year pro Caelen Carson might as well have been a healthy scratch because he was active and didn't play a single snap. It says a lot that Trikweze Bridges, an August waiver claim, started in the nickel. Like any good team, the Broncos picked on Bridges all game.
Getting back to Elam, he hasn't been any better in coverage this season. The former Bills first-round pick has allowed the ninth-most yards in coverage of any cornerback (307) despite playing the 28th-most coverage snaps, per Pro Football Focus. His 118 passer rating allowed is eighth-worst, and his three touchdowns allowed are the seventh-most at the position.
The Cowboys only gave up a fifth- and seventh-round pick for Elam and got a sixth-rounder in return. It was a low-risk gamble, but a completely unnecessary one, and the latest example of Dallas' front office thinking it's smarter than it actually is. Not every first-round pick is worth a reclamation project (see Kenneth Murray).
Elam struggled for playing time in a depleted Bills secondary. And he was bad whenever he saw the field. He performed well in training camp over the summer, but that isn't real football. A lot of players can look the part in glorified walkthrough practices.
Elam is a free agent after the season. The Cowboys will surely move on. But the fact that acquiring him was their only notable move to address the CB position after losing Jourdan Lewis, their best corner, is exactly why they're in the position they are.
They've let far too many good players out of the building, and have whiffed on seemingly every attempt to replace them, whether it be through free agency, the draft, or trade.