The NFL trade deadline is just a few weeks away, so ESPN’s Bill Barnwell put together 12 trade proposals that make sense for both teams. Included among those teams were the Indianapolis Colts.
Barnwell suggests that the Colts attempt to bolster their cornerback position by acquiring a former first-round pick.
In this trade, the Colts acquire now Buffalo cornerback Kaiir Elam and in return send a 2025 sixth-round pick to the Bills.
Elam was the 23rd overall pick by the Bills in the 2022 NFL Draft. After playing 570 snaps as a rookie, a foot injury in 2023 limited Elam to just 210 snaps this past year. Now, this season, he hasn’t been able to see much of the field, totaling just 23 defensive snaps.
For his career, Elam has made 69 of his 76 tackle attempts. In coverage he’s allowed 45 receptions on 64 targets (70.3%) at 11.8 yards per catch with four interceptions and two pass breakups, according to Pro Football Focus.
“Taken No. 23 in 2022,” wrote Barnwell, “he appears to be a rare miss on the defensive side of the ball for Buffalo general manager Brandon Beane and coach Sean McDermott. Despite injuries opening up opportunities for him in the depth chart, he never seemed to convince McDermott he deserved steady playing time.”
In terms of Elam’s contract that the Colts would have to take on, Barnwell notes that Elam is due $1.3 million for the remainder of 2024 and $2.6 million in 2025–all of which is guaranteed.
The starting cornerback position has started to take shape for the Colts recently, with Kenny Moore returning from injury, Sam Womack being an excellent post-cutdown find by Chris Ballard, and Jaylon Jones regularly making impact plays.
However, there are still certainly ups and downs that the secondary is working through and the depth at this position is extremely thin.
Cornerback still very much remains a need for the Colts, but I wouldn’t expect a trade to be made. More than likely, the Colts stand-pat at the trade deadline. If an addition wasn’t made all offseason at this position, I don’t know that one is going to be made now.