Sometimes in the NFL, all a player needs is a fresh start. What they do with that opportunity after they get it is up to them.
For a pair of former first-round picks who have been disappointments by the teams that drafted them, a fresh start might be in the cards in 2024.
Bleacher Report’s Alex Ballentine proposed at trade that would swap former Tampa Bay Buccaneers outside linebacker Joe Tryon-Shoyinka for Buffalo Bills cornerback Kaiir Elam, with the Buccaneers receiving an additional 2025 sixth-round pick.
“The Bucs and Bills could help each other out and give both players a fresh start by striking a deal,” Ballentine wrote. “The Bucs need corner depth after trading away Carlton Davis III. Meanwhile, the Bills could use more depth among their edge-rushers with Von Miller hitting an age cliff last season. Perhaps both could revive their careers in new surroundings.”
How Elam, JTS Missed Targets at Current Teams
Elam has barely been on the field for the Bills the last two seasons after he was selected in the first round (No. 23 overall) of the 2022 NFL draft. He missed four games as a rookie and 14 games in 2023 due to injuries and has been targeted by opposing quarterbacks when he has been on the field.
Still, there have been flashes he could be a serviceable NFL cornerback. Elam had 2 interceptions during the regular season as a rookie and has had 1 interception in the playoffs for the Bills each of the last 2 seasons.
Tryon-Shoyinka was the No. 32 overall pick in the 2021 NFL draft and his fifth-year option would have paid him $13.2 million in 2025. The Buccaneers declined that option on May 1. He’s played in all 17 games each of his 3 seasons and started a career-high 16 games in 2022, but saw that number drop to 12 games in 2023.
The bigger number for Tryon-Shoyinka is 13.0 sacks through his first 3 seasons. Those numbers were put in stark contrast after YaYa Diaby, a 2023 third-round pick who also plays outside linebacker, led the team with 7.5 sacks as a rookie.
In just financial terms, the investment in Diaby and younger players moving forward makes either trading Tryon-Shoyinka or letting him become a free agent after this season become a much better decision financially.
Tryon-Shoyinka is scheduled to make $2.1 million in 2024 while Diaby is set to make just under $1 million.
Both Bucs, Bills Have Clearly Moved On
Both the Buccaneers and Bills have made it clear they are no longer waiting for the former first-round picks to develop or produce results.
The Buccaneers doubled down on moving past Tryon-Shoyinka in the 2024 NFL draft when they selected Alabama edge rusher Chris Braswell (No. 57 overall).
In 2023, the Bills not only made a midseason trade for cornerback Rasul Douglas, but saw him become an immediate contributor and had 4 interceptions in just 9 games. Perhaps the most telling sign that Elam’s time in Buffalo has almost come to an end is the ascension of Christian Benford, a 6th round pick (No. 185 overall) in the 2022 NFL draft — the same year as Elam — who started 14 games in 2023 and who Elam is now listed behind on the depth chart.
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