The Buffalo Bills could make a bold move and bring in a star cornerback to bolster the secondary.
Buffalo has Christian Benford locked in as starting cornerback, and Hairston was expected to be the other starter. Yet, Hairston has struggled in camp and now Bills analyst Ryan Talbot wants the team to sign Marshon Lattimore.
“The Bills’ secondary and that cornerback position need to be strong, and I have some real worries about Maxwell Hairston,” Talbot said on the Shout Podcast. “We heard all summer this coaching staff has all the confidence in him; he has the speed, he has the footwork, the athleticism to be a good man corner. He has struggled; he’s struggling against physical receivers; he’s getting lost a little bit. It makes you think: should the Bills sign a veteran cornerback?
“I love Walker as cornerback four, but I don’t know if I want Toriano Pride Jr. as five. Maybe you move Walker to cornerback five, and you bring in Marshon Lattimore. He’s played a lot of man defense in his career; maybe he makes sense. He’s still sitting out there; he was injured in November. They might need another body in the cornerback room.”
Lattimore is 30 years old and still a free agent. The four-time Pro Bowler tore his ACL last November, so he may not be ready yet. However, he still could make an impact down the stretch and add some veteran presence to the cornerback room.
Lattimore won NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year in 2017.
Bills Name Hairston Starting CB
Despite Hairston’s struggles, the Bills named him a starting cornerback in Week 1.
After the final preseason game on Thursday, Bills head coach Joe Brady named him their starting cornerback.
“He’s our starting corner. He’s exactly what we look for in a corner… he’s our guy,” Brady said, via reporter Dan Fetes.
Despite Hairston being named the starter, Bills analyst Alex Brasky of SI believes rookie second-round pick Davison Igbinosun outplayed Hairston.
“Joe Brady says Maxwell Hairston ‘is our starting corner’ despite a rough performance this summer Hairston got bulldozed by Germie Bernard en route to the Steelers’ first TD Thursday,” Brasky wrote. “Davison Igbinosun has been the better player in training camp and preseason”
The Bills selected Hairston 30th overall in the 2025 NFL Draft out of Kentucky. The speedy cornerback was limited to just 11 games, including 3 starts, due to injuries. He recorded 18 tackles and 2 interceptions.
Buffalo Added CB Depth in NFL Draft
The Bills did add some cornerback depth in the NFL Draft.
Buffalo traded back in the second round to select Ohio State cornerback Davison Igbinosun. Bills GM Brandon Beane said cornerbacks are key and felt that Igbinosun is an important pick.
“Corners are premium positions,” Beane said. “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.”
Buffalo also selected cornerback Toriano Pride Jr. in the seventh round and signed Kani Walker as a UDFA to add more depth.
The Bills open their season on Sept. 13 against the Houston Texans.
Bills Urged to Sign 4-Time Pro Bowl CB Amid Maxwell Hairston’s Struggles