With the preseason finally being over for the Buffalo Bills, we can turn our focus now on Week 1 as the Baltimore Ravens come to town for Sunday Night Football in front of Bills Mafia. In a rematch from last year’s playoffs, the Ravens will be looking to get their revenge while the Bills are looking to make a statement win in front of the home crowd.
The Bills were very busy this offseason to prepare for the regular season. They extended multiple players, including four from their 2022 draft class. James Cook, Khalil Shakir, Terrel Bernard, and Christian Benford all received extensions proving that Beane had a fantastic draft that year.
In addition, the Bills also extended Greg Rousseau and gave Josh Allen a brand new six-year deal worth $330 million. The Bills have always been about drafting and development. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn’t. This time, it was a major hit.
Despite these players making a big impact for the Bills, some of them are still being overlooked heading into this season. The ESPN NFL staff predicted the Top 100 players for this season and while the Bills had Josh Allen (No. 2) and Dion Dawkins (No. 76) on the list, one player that should have had a spot was cornerback Christian Benford.
Latest ESPN ranking shows major disrespect towards Christian Benford
Running back James Cook was mentioned as a snub from an executive, per Jeremy Fowler, so atleast he was mentioned as someone who should have been on the list. But for Benford to be completely ignored is very wrong.
Benford has become a fantastic shutdown corner and has surpassed expectations as a former 6th-round pick back in 2022. He’s coming off his best season as a pro, allowing just 8.5 yards per completion and he has only given up seven touchdowns in three seasons, according to Pro Football Reference.
After receiving his new four-year extension from the Bills, the defense has their next CB1 in Benford but the rest of the league still isn’t giving him the respect he deserves. Hopefully this coming season will start to change some minds.
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