The Buffalo Bills named Maxwell Hairston the starting cornerback opposite Christian Benford to open the 2026 NFL season.
Buffalo also opted to keep just three boundary cornerbacks on the roster, which was a bit of a surprise, as the team has plenty of confidence in Hairston entering his second NFL season.
The Bills open their 2026 NFL season on the road on Sept. 13 against the Houston Texans.
Bills Analyst Hands Maxwell Hairston a Harsh Take
Hairston dealt with injuries in his rookie season, which hurt his development.
Entering training camp, Hairston was expected to compete for the starting spot opposite Beford. Buffalo did trade up in the second round to select Davison Igbinosun out of Ohio State. Although Hairston was named the starter, Bills analyst Joe Buscgalia of The Athletic handed Hairston a harsh take on his future.
“The bigger concern to me is how much they are really committing to Maxwell Hairston, and how much he really deserves it? I don’t think this is a Kaiir Elam situation; I don’t think they are on the same plane, as Elam didn’t show those huge flashes,” Buscgalia said on The Shout Podcast. “You know Maxwell has that blazing speed and can make a play on the ball, and that is not something you could say about Elam.
“The consistency is what is really driving this more than anything. Not only is he a thinner guy and struggles with physical receivers and tackling, that has been the book on him since he came into the league. Are they committing to Christian Benford to shadow whoever the more physical receiver is to try and hide that part? If there is a physical receiver on Hairston, I’m trying to test him. How much of this confidence, outright trust in him to be the starter, is warranted. And how much is it them hoping he can live up to it? I’m doing some sort of platoon between him and IGB.”
Hairston losing the starting job to a rookie would be a tough blow for his future with the team, as it could be another first-round bust for Buffalo.
Buffalo Names Hairston Starting Cornerback
Despite Hairston struggling in training camp at times, the Bills still named him their starting cornerback.
Benford has been a shutdown corner, and now Hairston will get the first crack to start opposite him. Bills head coach Joe Brady made the decision well before Week 1 to silence any doubters.
“I thought it was important for Maxwell, he hasn’t had an opportunity,” Brady said. “I thought it was just good for him to just be able to come out, go through it, get a feel for the environment and game, all of that. That was the biggest reason for it. … He’s our starting corner. Maxwell’s got exactly what we look for in a corner.”
The Bills are 1.5-point favorites against Houston in Week 1.
Bills Starting Cornerback Dealt Harsh Take on Future Ahead of NFL Season