Elam suffered a torn biceps Sunday and is scheduled to undergo surgery later this week, the Houston Chronicle's Aaron Wilson reports.

Elam's confirmed torn biceps casts considerable doubt over his availability for the upcoming campaign, as such an injury is often season-ending. While surgery is already scheduled for this week, it's still unclear exactly how long Elam is expected to be out. Nonetheless, his absence further opens the door for Will Hill to cement his place as the Ravens' starting strong safety this season.

Elam suffered a biceps injury Sunday and Ravens head coach John Harbaugh is not optimistic, ESPN.com's Jamison Hensley reports.

Following a disastrous 2014 season in which he was benched on multiple occasions, Elam was expected to compete with Will Hill for the starting job at strong safety. The Ravens seemingly fear that Elam tore his biceps, which could potentially keep him out for the entire season. MRI results should be available by Monday.

Elam will have to compete with Will Hill, Kendrick Lewis and Terrence Brooks (knee) for playing time in 2015, the Ravens' official website reports.

Will Hill seems like a near-lock to start, with Kendrick Lewis the favorite to grab the other starting job. Elam, a first-round pick in 2013, regressed badly during his sophomore season, following a solid but unspectacular rookie campaign. He was the weakest link in a shaky secondary, struggling with both his tackling and coverage. Elam reportedly lost eight pounds of body fat in the offseason, but showing up in improved shape won't be enough on its own. Once you throw 2014 third-round pick Terrence Brooks (knee) into the mix, it's pretty clear Elam will need an excellent training camp and preseason to earn a starting spot, despite having the first-round pedigree.

Elam had two tackles (one solo) in Sunday's win over the Titans.

Darian Stewart and Will Hill started at safety, while Elam and Terrence Brooks got some snaps off the bench. With the Ravens likely to use the same approach after a Week 11 bye, Elam won't be playing enough snaps for IDP consideration. The Ravens don't seem to be giving up on the 2013 first-round pick entirely, but his long-term outlook has dampened considerably over the last few months.

Elam had one assisted tackle and one pass defensed in Sunday's 29-7 win over the Falcons.

The Ravens used a four-safety rotation, with Elam and Will Hill each playing about one-third of the snaps, while Darian Stewart and rookie Terrence Brooks each logged about two-thirds. The team could go with the same approach for Week 8 in Cincinnati, as it worked quite well against the high-flying Atlanta offense. Elam appears to be fighting for what's left of his role, and while his status as a former first-round draft pick may help, he can be dropped in nearly any redraft IDP league.

Elam played just 39 snaps in Sunday's 48-17 win over the Buccaneers, finishing the game with two solo tackles.

An IDP breakout candidate heading into the season, the 2013 first-round draft pick has oddly taken a major step in the wrong direction during his sophomore campaign, showing little ability to cover, which may be affecting his confidence when it comes to stopping the run. Though best suited to work as a true strong safety, Elam has not been able to do so this year, as the same can be said of Baltimore's other starting safety, Darian Stewart. Still, while he hasn't been put in the best circumstances, Elam has played poorly enough that it's fair to question whether he'll keep his starting job. He seemed to be entrenched as a starter before the season, but he may now face a challenge from third-round rookie Terrence Brooks and/or free-agent acquisition Will Hill, the latter of whom is set to return from a six-game suspension in Week 7. Both Hill and Brooks are more of free safeties, which appears to be exactly what the Ravens need. There are better IDP options than Elam available on waivers in nearly any league.

Elam had 10 tackles (five solo) in Thursday's 26-6 loss to the Steelers.

Elam largely lined up over Pittsburgh's slot receiver, as the Ravens opted to use fellow safety Jeromy Miles as the nickelback, and the Steelers almost exclusively operated out of three-wide sets. While said role may have been a one-game deal for Elam, the second-year pro is still locked in as the starting strong safety, which should give him every chance to surpass last season's 77 tackles.

Elam had three tackles (one solo) and a pass defense in Sunday's loss to the Bengals.

Elam and fellow starting safety Darian Stewart both played every snap. Elam was barely targeted, which had a lot to do with the Bengals' screen-heavy gameplan. Though off to a disappointing start, Elam still has the potential to emerge as a consistent source of tackles.

Elam has taken on the duty of making adjustments in the secondary, the Ravens' official website reports.

Four-year veteran Darian Stewart is the favorite to win the starting safety spot next to Elam, yet it's the 2013 first-round draft pick who has been chosen as the vocal leader of the secondary. After working interchangeably as a free and strong safety last season, Elam is expected to spend more time up in the box this year, which will play to his strengths. While capable in coverage, the former Florida Gator is at his best when tracking down ballcarriers and focusing on the short or mid-range passing game. Elam is an IDP breakout candidate, despite recording just 77 tackles (54 solo), one interception and three pass defenses as an every-down player last year.

Ravens S Matt Elam is expected to move to strong safety in 2014.

Elam was asked to play out of position at free safety in his rookie season, and he certainly struggled at times. Darian Stewart will battle speedy third-round selection Terrence Brooks to start at free safety, with Anthony Levine and Omar Brown also in the mix. There's a lot to like about Elam from an IDP standpoint.

The Ravens are expected to move second-year S Matt Elam to strong safety in 2014.

Elam played out of position at free safety as a rookie because James Ihedigbo was entrenched as the strong safety and FS Michael Huff was a free-agent flop that was benched after two weeks. Ihedigbo is a free agent, and the Ravens need to find a ball-hawking, centerfield-type safety to pair with Elam.

The Ravens officially benched FS Michael Huff for first-rounder Matt Elam.

Elam hasn't gotten off to a roaring start, but Huff's been a mini-disaster through two games, particularly in Week 1 against Denver. Huff should still see a decent amount of snaps as the Ravens' third safety.