For what seems like forever now, the Buffalo Bills have had issues at the cornerback spot and it has cost them plenty of games over the years. At one point, there was a time where the secondary was not an issue, but the lack of depth that they have had in recent memory has cost them in crucial moments.
Just last season against the Denver Broncos, the Bills had a lead late in the 4th quarter but then Tre’Davious White came out for a brief time which hurt the secondary and Buffalo gave up a touchdown to give Denver the lead.
Even this past offseason, the Bills willingly released Dane Jackson and let Tre’Davious White walk. White is still a free agent, but one would think that he would already be on the team if the Bills truly wanted him back.
Luckily for the Bills, they have their top corner in Christian Benford. Buffalo has the lockdown corner taken care of, but then the Bills have a lot of “what if” players behind him, including Maxwell Hairston.
Buffalo drafted Hairston in the first round in 2025, but a knee injury in training camp forced him to miss the beginning of the season which set him back. He did manage to get on the field as part of a rotation in the secondary, and he even got two interceptions which included his first one being against Patrick Mahomes.
Maxwell Hairston as to prove himself in 2026 to Bills fans
However, Hairston will be one of the important 2nd-year players that Bleacher Report’s Brad Gagnon talked about.
"The first-rounder started just three games during a rookie campaign that was heavily impacted by injuries. He did, however, flash at times when active and intercepted two passes out of the gate. In a perfect world, he easily wins the CB2 job this summer and allows them to stop relying on Tre White." said Gagnon.
White isn’t currently on the team, but that doesn’t mean that he won’t be brought back. Brandon Beane has spoken about not closing the door on a potential return with White. We also can't forget that the Bills signed cornerback Dee Alford, as well as drafted Davison Igbinosun and Toriano Pride Jr.
Igbinsoun is the interesting player to keep an eye on when it comes to Hairston, because the Bills traded up to get him in the second round back in April. Beane talked about how he believed that the cornerback position was “most pressing need” going into the draft, per Matthew Bove.
Whether it was about the quality of play or just the depth, the Bills still added a good amount of competition. Hairston is going to have to prove that he can win the CB2 job and not put the Bills in a spot to where they have to look at other options.
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