Orchard Park, N.Y. (WGR 550) – Buffalo Bills head coach Sean McDermott isn’t saying which rookie cornerback he will start Thursday night against the Los Angeles Rams.
With Tre White still rehabbing his knee, either Kaiir Elam or Christian Benford will start opposite Dane Jackson. The Bills' depth chart has Elam slotted in with the first-team unit on defense.
“I’m taking it one day at a time, where I’m locked in and focusing on my technique and fundamentals," said Elam leading up to Thursday's game in Los Angeles.
“I can’t take a day for granted just because we have a game coming up.”
As far as playing in Week 1 against the Rams, Elam has a quiet confidence, which he feels will help keep him ready.
“I’m super, duper prepared," he said. "It took me a while to get down the technique and the fundamentals that my coach [defensive backs coach John Butler] was emphasizing, but once I got it, I became more confident and it showed in my game in preseason. So I’ll be ready when my name is called.”
Elam noticed a lot of changes when he got to the NFL.
“Me coming from Florida, playing a lot of man with no help, it was harder for me to trust where my help is, how to bail and things like that," Elam said. "It came with a lot of reps. It didn’t come overnight.”
Elam says safeties Jordan Poyer and Micah Hyde are always reassuring him on the field. He described what they do for him as, “Mind blowing!”
Benford was a sixth-round pick of the Bills out of Villanova University this past spring. He impressed all throughout camp, but he always bet on himself.
“My confidence level is always high, but never too cocky," said Benford heading into Thursday night's opener. "I never get too high or too low, and I keep myself level headed.”
Benford made plays throughout the preseason, but he knows he has a lot more to give.
“I’ve got a lot to improve, and there’s always a lot of stuff that I have to get better at," he admitted.
“I felt like I made plays and executed my assignments, but there’s always stuff that I could do better.”
Injuries helped Benford to get more reps in camp with the first- and second- teams.
“I just took the opportunity as a blessing," Benford said. "I didn’t look at the injured people. I just looked at how many reps I was getting, and J.B.[ John Butler] was just telling me to go out and play this position and that position. And every time I went out there, I took it as my last time going out there like it was my last time throwing the pads on.”
As far as Thursday’s game goes, Benford feels he ready to go.
Thursday is only the 14th time the Bills will play the Rams. Buffalo is 1-2 in Los Angeles against the Rams. In 1974, the Rams won 19-14. In 1983, it was 41-17 Rams, but Buffalo finally won in 2016, 30-19.
The teams played twice in St. Louis, with the Bills winning both games. Buffalo is 5-3 against the Rams in Orchard Park, and are 8-5 overall.
