All eyes were on Buffalo Bills second-year cornerback Maxwell Hairston during the team’s preseason finale against the Pittsburgh Steelers. Hairston started at cornerback Thursday night, and there’s been plenty of attention paid to his missed tackle in the open field early in action.
To that end, Joe Buscaglia of The Athletic shared that head coach Joe Brady gave a very definitive and public vote of confidence in Hairston, stating to reporters that “(h)e’s our starting corner” when asked if there’s a competition at CB2. That competition query of of course refers to the presence of rookie cornerback Davison Igbinosun.
The question now for One Bills Drive is whether or not they write Hairston’s name in pencil or permanent marker. That’s something Hairston will have to influence in his second season, and likely hold off any incursion by Igbinosun.
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After putting a difficult rookie year behind him that saw his first season bookended by significant injuries, it appeared as though Hairston was setting up to take off in year two. Well, at least that seemed like the plan for as long as Sean McDermott was the head coach.
The trouble for Hairston may have been that McDermott’s future at One Bills Drive perished the same night of Buffalo’s playoff loss to the Denver Broncos last January. Though that could appear short-sighted when considering that the main person responsible for selecting him in the first round was still in house — Brandon Beane — and received a promotion to include president of football operations within his executive title as general manager.
Those injuries to his knee and ankle now behind him, it almost seems as though Hairston’s role on defense is more confusing than ever. The new regime saw fit to select Igbinosun early in the 2026 NFL Draft. Mind you, not as early as Hairston, but it was a significant addition considering the team’s defensive needs elsewhere. It was a decision met with quite a bit of confusion and controversy in the early going.
One can only imagine what Hairston thought of the move.
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Hairston’s potential and athletic ability are both undeniable and off the charts. To think that only a select few were in on drafting him early is foolish. Any team would be happy to have Max Hairston, but it’s possible teams that prioritize man-cover cornerbacks wouldn’t place the same premium on rostering him.
Hairston spent the bulk of his college career playing zone-based coverage, and he was an observably solid fit for that scheme under McDermott. When Brady was chosen as the new head coach, he decided to go in a new direction on defense, hiring Jim Leonhard who has brought along a 3-4 base system that prioritizes attacking offenses while asking boundary corners to play press man.
At least we believe that to be the crux of the situation in 2026 and beyond. It’s possible that Leonhard has a plan for Hairston that defies any limitations exposed of him in man coverage. It’s also possible that Leonhard’s defense runs an exotic hybrid that allows Hairston to shine in zone looks. All we’ve seen of the new defense to this point is as bland as a flavorless snow cone.
We won’t know what’s true until Week 1 kicks off against the Houston Texans. Even then, it’s possible the team pivots based on need. Brady sounds like a straight shooter as someone who’s fairly generous with his time and effort at the podium. As such, he should be taken at his word. At least for now.
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