The Buffalo Bills believe that Sean McDermott's secondary was one of the weaker units on the team, and they chose to attack that weakness aggressively. Buffalo not only chose to get rid of an underperformer in Kaiir Elam by trading him to the Cowboys, but their first-round pick in the 2025 NFL Draft was another DB in cornerback Maxwell Hairston.
While this secondary may not have the external hype that some other units have, stats that go beyond the traditional box score show that some of Buffalo's top defensive players from the last few years may have performed better than some critical fans want to give them credit for.
ESPN's Aaron Schatz not only said that cornerback Christian Benford is the most underrated cornerback in the NFL, but he also implied that safety Taylor Rapp is the most underrated at safety. Perhaps there is more talent here than most fans seem to believe.
McDermott, who made his pre-Bills name as a defensive backs coach, may have the horses he needs to transform what was an exploitable Buffalo unit in 2025 into a group that has some real teeth when they go up against some of the best teams in the league.
Bills CB Christian Benford, S Taylor Rapp called underrated by ESPN
Benford ranked fourth in Schatz's coverage DVOA metric. He was targeted on just 10.1% of passes when he was on the field, and he allowed a very low 6.1 yards per catch when he was thrown at. Schatz postulates that this performance is far from a fluke after a strong 2024 season.
Rapp, who signed with Buffalo after a strong stint with the Los Angeles Rams, helped the Bills become the seventh-best team in terms of DVOA when defending deep passes. Rapp only missed four tackles while tallying 48 stops, giving him one of the best overall missed tackle rates in the game.
With Hairston showing the potential to be one of the best nickel cornerbacks in the game, his development could be what helps this Bills unit become one of the better ones in the AFC. Given McDermott's history with younger cornerbacks, that could be a very reasonable bet to make.
Buffalo is always going to be competitive with Josh Allen in the mix, but if their secondary plays up to their full potential, this might be the year where they finally knock Kansas City off their perch atop the AFC by frustrating Patrick Mahomes.
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