The Buffalo Bills could be forced to add to their cornerback room.
Buffalo was expected to start Christian Benford and 2025 first-round pick Maxwell Hairston. However, the Bills selected Davison Igbinosun in the second round to add more depth to the position.
Yet, during training camp, Hairston has struggled, and Bills analyst Joe Buscaglia of The Athletic wonders if he is now battling for his starting job.
“Second-year cornerback Maxwell Hairston is the biggest question mark on their entire defense at the moment, and a big piece of the evaluation is how he’ll stack up against the physicality of some receivers,” Buscaglia wrote. “There is no doubt Hairston can run with the fastest receivers in the league. But as the league gets more physical, can he win enough for teams to not pick on him with those receivers in the short-to-intermediate game? Hairston is listed at 192 pounds. But he is a thin-built cornerback. And, as evidenced by the day in full pads, still has some work to do to fight through physical battles.
“Hairston went up against Keon Coleman four times in one-on-ones. On all four reps, Coleman challenged Hairston’s physicality, and on all four attempts, the receiver brought in the pass from Allen. … The most glaring rep was the final one, in which Hairston tried to get more physical with Coleman, who battled him all the way to the catch point and even got a hand on the ball, only for Coleman to run through the contact and complete the catch through Hairston’s best shot. That will be the biggest question about Hairston’s starting capabilities this season.”
Hairston struggling in camp is bad news for his outlook as the starting cornerback. And it brings into questions if Buffalo needs to add to the cornerback room.
Bills Could Puruse Veteran CB
With Hairston struggling in camp, Buscaglia believes the Bills need to add to the room.
Buffalo could bring back veteran cornerback Tre’Davious White or look elsewhere. But the analyst thinks another cornerback could be needed amidst Hairston’s struggles.
“After Hairston is rookie Davison Igbinosun, who has shown that when he gets his hands on the receiver early in the rep, he can win that rep outright,” Buscgalia added. “The bigger challenge is when the receiver gets their release off the line of scrimmage, forcing Igbinosun to fight through some tightness and get back in the rep with athleticism.
“Because he’s so new to the NFL game, translating his skills will take some time. The slow starts by Hairston and Igbinosun are why the Bills could still make a move to bring in a veteran cornerback sooner rather than later.”
Hairston appeared in 11 games as a rookie, recording 18 tackles and 2 interceptions.
Buffalo Added Igbinosun for Depth
When Buffalo traded up in the 2026 NFL Draft to select Igbinosun, many were surprised.
Yet, Bills GM Brandon Beane felt like they needed to add more depth at cornerback.
“You want to make sure, as the season goes along, if injury strikes, that you’ve got enough guys, even if they’re not starters,” Beane said. “How many guys we went through last season that played in the playoffs for us, or helped us get to the playoffs. So you’re going to need those guys. …
“Corners are premium positions. Those guys are all going to play, they’re going to play. It’s a long season. And when you have corners that are not capable, they get bull’s eyes on them real fast. Especially when you’re playing the prime time quarterbacks, the prime time offenses in this league.”
The Bills, however, still could be in the market for more corners before the start of the season.
Like HEAVY’s content? Be sure to follow us.
This article was originally published on HEAVY
The post Bills’ Former 1st-Round Pick Handed Harsh Outlook Amid Struggles appeared first on HEAVY.