The Buffalo Bills season will kick off against the Houston Texans on Sunday at Reliant Stadium, and cornerback Maxwell Hairston is going to have a new look.
Buffalo released its official depth chart for Week 1 on Tuesday, and Hairston was listed as one of the starting cornerbacks. However, his previous No. 31 was not next to his name. It appears Hairston changed his number when roster cuts occurred at the end of August, and he will now wear No. 1.
Hairston wore No. 31 and No. 1 while playing three years of college football at Kentucky from 2022 to 2024. He appeared in 32 games for the Wildcats, recording 89 combined tackles, 2.5 tackles for loss, one sack and six interceptions.
Hairston Didn’t Have a Great Rookie Season
The Bills drafted Hairston with the 30th pick in the 2025 NFL Draft, but his rookie year didn’t get off to a great start. He suffered an LCL sprain early in training camp, which caused him to miss the entire preseason and the first six games of the regular season.
It’s challenging for any rookie to enter the league and have a successful first season, but it’s even more difficult when they miss the entire training camp and preseason games. Expecting to perform well in their rookie campaign under those circumstances is a tough order, and Hairston did struggle a bit.
Now Hairston will have a chance for a true season, and hopefully no obstacles will get in his way so he can just play football and show why the Bills drafted him in the first round.
Bills Put Hairston on Notice This Offseason
Although Hairston didn’t get to have a real rookie season, the Bills put him on notice early this year when they drafted Ohio State cornerback Davison Igbinosun in the second round. Despite the addition of Igbinosun, defensive coordinator Jim Leonhard still expressed confidence in Hairston, giving him a boost of confidence.
“We love Max. I was a huge fan of Max coming out of college,” Leonhard said in May. “We’re not down on any of the corners we have. We needed depth, and I firmly believe you have to be able to rush the passer and you have to be able to cover [receivers], and we needed more depth in the room.”
Leonhard loves the energy Hairston brings and thinks he might have a challenge this season while still growing into his NFL body.
“He’s high energy – all the time,” Leonhard added. “He loves ball, he loves practice. Any little coaching point you give him on a one-on-one basis, he’s really into that. So to me, the energy and the passion about football, and then obviously he’s got high-level athletic traits.
“We want to keep him healthy for a whole season. That’s the one thing that’s going to be a big challenge for him, is just continuing to grow into that NFL body and be available every week.”
It will be interesting to see how Hairston does in Week 1 against a Texans passing attack that has one of the best receivers in the NFL, Nico Collins.
Bills CB Maxwell Hairston Reveals New Change Ahead of Texans Matchup