The Buffalo Bills could make a clear decision on an impact rookie in Week 2 against the Detroit Lions.
Buffalo traded up in the second round to select cornerback Davison Igbinosun out of Ohio State. It was a surprising pick, since many expected Christian Benford and 2025 first-round pick Maxwell Hairston to be the starting cornerbacks.
In camp, Igbinosun and Hairston had a battle for the starting cornerback spot, which Hairston won, and in Week 1 the rookie corner didn’t get a ton of snaps.
Buffalo Bills Expected to Bench Davison Igbinosun
Although Buffalo traded up to select Igbinosun in the second round, he didn’t play much in Week 1.
Now, ahead of the Bills’ Week 2 game against the Detroit Lions, insider Joe Buscaglia believes Buffalo will solely rely on Benford and Hairston.
“With so many dangerous pass-catching assets for the Lions, the cornerbacks will be tested often. Given the Lions’ overall boundary speed, it wouldn’t be a surprise if the Bills go with Hairston fully in this game, despite the flaws he showed against the Texans,” Buscaglia wrote.
“Igbinosun trying to turn and run with Jameson Williams seems like an illogical choice the Bills should avoid if they can. Amon-Ra St. Brown is a matchup nightmare for their entire secondary. Given the opponent, it could be a heavy zone game with a little man coverage sprinkled in, but it’s a tough matchup through and through.”
As Buscaglia notes, the Lions have plenty of speed, so using Hairston and his blazing speed makes sense. So, Igbinosun’s role with the team in Week 2 likely won’t be much, which is disappointing after two games.
In Week 1, the rookie cornerback played just 11 snaps to Hairston’s 66, so he’s firmly the backup cornerback.
Buffalo Expects Defense to be Better in Week 2
The Bills have a new-look defense with Jim Leonhard as defensive coordinator.
Leonhard changed Buffalo to a 3-4 defense, and it did have some growing pains in Week 1. Yet, the defensive coordinator believes it was better than it looked and expects them to build off it.
“I left watching the tape going, ‘All right, we’re closer. We’re closer than it looked.’ And I’m excited for where we’re going,” Leonhard said. “There’s going to be some bumps in the road. And again, to go into a place like that and find a way to close it out and get a win, you take that for what it’s worth.
“The standards are higher for what we want this defense to be. And it’s our job to get there. There’s a lot of things I want back myself, as I’m sure some players want some snaps back. That’s the fun part of this game, man, we get a chance to go do it again on Thursday.”
The Bills are a 5.5-point favorite against the Lions at home.
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