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CHICAGO, ILLINOIS - AUGUST 17: Maxwell Hairston #31 of the Buffalo Bills looks on prior to the NFL Preseason 2025 game between Buffalo Bills and Chicago Bears at Soldier Field on August 17, 2025 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images)

The Buffalo Bills could have a position battle brewing in their secondary.

The team heads into the 2026 season with Christian Benford etched into the top cornerback spot, but former first-round pick Maxwell Hairston may need to fight to keep his starting job opposite Benford.

Maxwell Hairston Facing Depth Chart Challenge

As the team creeps closer to mandatory minicamp in June, SI.com’s Ralph Ventre broke down some of the team’s unexpected position battles. Ventre noted that the Bills weren’t expected to invest much draft capital in the cornerback position.

“Heading into the NFL Draft, the Bills had apparent needs for depth in the secondary, but they were thought to be set in terms of starting cornerbacks,” Ventre wrote. “Christian Benford, who signed a lucrative contract extension last spring, is back for Year 5, and 2025 first-round pick Maxwell Hairston entered the offseason as the presumed outside starter opposite the established CB1.”

But the Bills changed course, Ventre noted, using a second-round pick on Ohio State cornerback Davison Igbinosun. If Hairston continues to struggle with injuries in his second season as he did in the first — suffering a serious knee injury in training camp that initially looked to be season-ending, but instead kept him out for half of the season — then Igbinosun could steal a starting job.

“We explored the idea of the 6-foot-2 Igbinosun, who is taller and longer, potentially displacing Hairston, who had availability issues as a rookie, in the starting lineup,” Venture wrote.

Ventre noted that Bills general manager Brandon Beane expressed worry about the team’s injuries at cornerback when justifying the second-round pick of Igbinosun.

“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,” Beane added. “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, and especially when you’re playing the prime time quarterbacks, the prime time offenses in this league.”

Bills Could Add More Depth

The Bills may not be done making moves in their secondary. The team brought back veteran Tre’Davious White last season, with the veteran cornerback turning in a strong campaign in relief of the injured Hairston.

White remains a free agent after his one-year deal with the Bills expired, but Beane hinted that the team would like him to return.

“We love Tre’Davious…..you’d never close the door on bringing a guy like that back to Buffalo,” Beane said, via reporter Matthew Bove.

White had said before the start of the 2025 season that he was only interested in playing for the Bills.

“I told my agent, if you can’t get Buffalo on the line, don’t call me,” White said in April 2025. “Walking through the door yesterday, it just seemed like I never left. So many familiar faces. Some new faces, too. But I just feel in place. I feel like home.”