Bills Place CB Kaiir Elam On IR, Sign DT Linval Joseph

After coming up in trade rumors, Kaiir Elam will now be sidelined for an extended stretch. The Bills corner has been placed on injured reserve, per a team announcement.

As a result of the move, Elam will be required to miss at least the next four games. An ankle injury is the cause of the former first-rounder’s absence, though he has been a healthy scratch at multiple points this season. That lack of Year 2 development led to a report from last week indicating Elam was on the trade block. However, general manager Brandon Beane made it clear after this week’s trade deadline that no consideration was given to moving on from the 22-year-old.

Buffalo acquired veteran Rasul Douglas from the Packers on Tuesday, accomplishing the team’s goal of finding help in the secondary in the wake of Tre’Davious White‘s Achilles tear. Beane confirmed (via Joe Buscaglia of The Athletic) that White’s injury prompted a search for a CB addition. That included a roughly week-long negotiating period with Green Bay over the Douglas swap, and the latter will no doubt have a large role in Buffalo upon arrival. Bringing back Elam will use up one of the team’s seven remaining IR activations.

To fill the open roster spot created by Elam being sidelined, the Bills have signed defensive tackle Linval Joseph. The 35-year-old signed with the Eagles last November, and he helped the Eagles reach the Super Bowl while serving in a depth capacity (38% snap share). Mike Garafolo of NFL Network reports Joseph’s one-year pact has a maximum value of $3.72MM.

The two-time Pro Bowler has logged 179 games across his time with the Giants, Vikings, Chargers and Eagles. He will meet Buffalo’s stated intention of making an addition along the defensive interior while using up a portion of the team’s remaining spending power. The Bills entered Thursday with $3.64MM in cap space, so the base value of Joseph’s deal will drop the figure to an extent. If he can provide a rotational presence for a banged-up defense down the stretch, though, his addition will prove to be worthwhile.