Who Should I Start? Kaiir Elam or Derek Stingley Jr.

Friday, May 2, 12:18 AM

The Dallas Cowboys chose not to pick up the fifth-year option for the 2026 season of cornerback Kaiir Elam, according to ESPN's Jeremy Fowler. The Cowboys acquired Elam in a trade with the Buffalo Bills this offseason, but now he will become an unrestricted free agent after the 2025 campaign. The Bills drafted the 23-year-old defensive back with the 23rd overall pick in 2022 out of the University of Florida. If Dallas had picked up his fifth-year option, they would have had to pay Elam around $12.7 million in 2026. Elam played in only three games in his second season in Buffalo in 2023 and hasn't played more than 13 games in any of his first year years in the NFL while struggling to secure a starting role. He has just 81 tackles (56 solo), two interceptions, six pass breakups and a fumble recovery in his 29 games (12 starts). Elam will be competing for a spot on Dallas' 53-man roster this summer.

Monday, March 17, 1:01 PM

The Houston Texans made cornerback Derek Stingley Jr. the highest-paid defensive back in the league on Monday by agreeing to terms on a three-year, $90 million deal ($30 million per year) that includes a whopping $89 million guaranteed, sources told NFL Network's Ian Rapoport. The 23-year-old former third overall pick by Houston in the 2022 NFL draft out of LSU was a Pro Bowler and first-team All-Pro for the first time in 2024 after recording a career-high 54 tackles (37 solo), five interceptions for the second straight year and 18 pass breakups in 17 regular-season starts. It was the first time he was able to stay healthy for an entire season in his third year in the league after playing in just 20 games in 2022 and 2023 combined. But Stingley proved last year that he's the real deal and he added two more interceptions in two playoff games.