Safety Matt Elam looking good

Matt Elam continues to get praise from the coaches and his teammates.

Elam has a lot of haters, which is to be expected being in his third year with poor results so far. We've covered him at length over this offseason and note that it is truly a make or break year for the strong safety. What we've seen so far from Elam is a player that has been putting himself in position to make plays and seemingly understands the game better now.

Today cornerback Lardarius Webb backed up that sentiment.

Matt Elam is looking awesome!

Elam has been running with the first team and the second team as it is clear that the coaches are looking to run him through his paces. Splitting reps with safety Will Hill has given Elam a chance to prove that he is capable enough to be a starter in this league. Just yesterday, Elam intercepted a pass; diving to the ground to snag the pick. He has done exceptionally well on all fronts so far during OTAs and minicamps.

Webb wasn't done discussing how much Elam has improved and he reiterated what we've seen so far from the 2013 first-round NFL Draft pick.

He's getting that position down. He always practices at 110% and plays at 110%, but now he's getting the defense down. He's learning how to play NFL safety. If you just watch him, you can see the improvement from him both on and off the field. In the meeting rooms and the locker room, you can see the change in him, his attitude, his confidence. He wants to improve and be better than he has.

It is going to be a battle for that strong safety spot, but Elam is doing everything in his power to make the case for his jersey to see the field more often.