BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) — The Buffalo Bills placed cornerback Kaiir Elam on injured reserve and filled his roster spot by signing veteran defensive tackle Linval Joseph.

Bills general manager Brandon Beane alluded to Elam going on injured reserve during a Wednesday news conference, saying the 2022 first-round pick was battling an ankle injury. The 22-year-old was inactive for the first four games of the season before stepping in for Tre’Davious White after he suffered an Achilles injury. Elam was once again inactive against the Buccaneers in favor of Josh Norman, who Buffalo had signed to its practice earlier in the week.

Despite some reports that the Bills were considering trading Elam prior to Tuesday’s deadline, Beane denied the team was fielding offers.

“Not everything has worked out perfect, but he’s a young player,” Beane said of Elam. “I’ve gone back and looked at his college stuff, and I see it. I know what’s in there. We just got to get it out of him. We got to get his confidence up and make sure he gets back to 100%, however we do that.”

Elam will miss a minimum of four games during his injured reserve stint.

Bills sign veteran DT Joseph

The Bills added size at defensive tackle by signing Joseph, who stands at 6-foot-4, 329 pounds. The 35-year-old was similarly a midseason addition for the Eagles last year, playing in and starting eight regular season games for Philadelphia and tallying 20 total tackles. He also appeared in all three of the Eagles’ playoff games, including the Super Bowl.

“Veteran, experienced player that’s, from the reports we’ve gotten, high character, leader,” Bills head coach Sean McDermott said about Joseph. “He’s played a lot of football. Certainly a big man and the line of scrimmage is important.”

Beane mentioned Wednesday that the Bills were “working on some stuff” when it came to adding a defensive tackle in the wake of DaQuan Jones’ pectoral injury, whom Beane had no update on Wednesday.

Joseph brings experience as he enters his 14th season in the NFL. He won a Super Bowl in 2011 as a member of the New York Giants and has been a Pro Bowler twice in his career.