The Los Angeles Chargers released cornerback Kaiir Elam from their practice squad on Wednesday, ending a stay that lasted barely two weeks.
The move was revealed via the NFL transaction wire alongside the signing of veteran wide receiver Marquez Valdes-Scantling, a transaction driven by injuries at receiver after Week 1.
Elam, 25, joined the Chargers on Sept. 2 after the Kansas City Chiefs cut him at the end of training camp. Kansas City had signed him in April to a one-year deal worth $1.81 million with $500,000 guaranteed.
He never made the 53-man roster.
The release is another abrupt stop in a career that began with high expectations.
Buffalo selected Elam 23rd overall in the 2022 NFL Draft out of Florida, trading up two spots to do it. The Bills gave him a fully guaranteed four-year, $13.69 million rookie contract.
He intercepted two passes as a rookie, including one against Patrick Mahomes, but never locked down a starting role. Fifth-round pick Christian Benford passed him on the depth chart.
In March 2025, Buffalo traded Elam to Dallas for late-round picks. General manager Brandon Beane later took responsibility, saying the selection “didn’t work out.”
Dallas declined Elam’s fifth-year option and waived him in November 2025 after 10 games and seven starts. He finished that season with the Tennessee Titans.
Across four seasons, he has played 43 games with 19 starts, totaling 114 tackles, two interceptions, eight pass breakups and three fumble recoveries.
Los Angeles added him as inexpensive secondary depth. That calculation changed after the Chargers’ season-opening loss. Ladd McConkey is day-to-day with a rib injury, Derius Davis is dealing with an undisclosed issue, and KeAndre Lambert-Smith is on injured reserve with a hamstring injury.
Valdes-Scantling, a two-time Super Bowl champion entering his ninth season, gives the staff a veteran option who can be elevated if McConkey cannot play Sunday against the Raiders.
Elam still has size and speed that once made him a first-round prospect. At 6-foot-1 and about 200 pounds, he has the frame teams keep trying. Consistency in coverage has not followed.
At 25, he remains young enough for another look, but he has now been waived or released by the Bills (via trade), Cowboys, Titans, Chiefs and Chargers in a short span.
The Chargers needed a receiver more than another practice-squad corner. For Elam, the search for a stable NFL home continues.
