The Buffalo Bills have plenty of changes on defense this upcoming season and that includes Maxwell Hairston’s potential insertion into the starting lineup. The 30th overall pick in the 2025 draft, Hairston is projected to start across from Christian Beneford and it’s a big leap for a player who appeared in 11 games and already has a ringing endorsement from defensive coordinator Jim Leonhard.
But things got more difficult for Hairston when the New England Patriots acquired A.J. Brown on Monday. The Bills likely knew about the trade as it has been rumored since the beginning of the league year and there’s a debate they should be laughing at their rival for overpaying to bring a powder keg to Foxborough. However, it gives Hairston another challenge entering his first year as a starter and makes growing up quickly a necessity in the Buffalo secondary.
Maxwell Hairston will have to grow up quickly after Patriots trade for A.J. Brown
Hairston’s rookie year didn’t lead to a massive statistical output as he made 18 total tackles with five pass deflections and two interceptions on 196 coverage snaps according to Pro Football Focus. While he allowed three touchdowns on 25 targets, he was generally solid, although his year was bookended by an LCL injury in training camp and an ankle injury suffered in the regular season finale.
While the ankle injury forced him to miss both of Buffalo’s playoff games, Hairston’s rookie season was received well and inspired the Bills to make some changes during the offseason. Cameron Lewis left for the Chicago Bears in free agency and Taron Johnson was traded to the Las Vegas Raiders. While Tre’Davious White and Dane Jackson are still on the free agent market. Those moves helped Hairston become a starter and inherit the unenviable task of stopping Brown.
The former Eagle has put together a Hall of Fame-caliber start to his career, catching 524 passes for 8,029 yards and 56 touchdowns over his first seven seasons. While he barely eclipsed the 1,000-yard mark in each of the past two seasons, a lot of it had to do with the performance of Jalen Hurts and the ineptitude of offensive coordinator Kevin Patullo, who was replaced by Sean Mannion after one season on the job.
Brown is also reunited with Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel, who he played for during his first three seasons with the Tennessee Titans and could be getting an upgrade at quarterback, going from Hurts to MVP runner-up Drake Maye.
With that, the Bills don’t need Hairston to just live up to his rookie year, they need him to exceed it. A 5-foot-11, 183-pound corner with a 4.28-second time in the 40 yard dash, Hairston starred at Kentucky, making 88 total tackles with 11 pass deflections and five interceptions during the 2023 season. While he missed five games with a shoulder injury, it wasn’t enough for Buffalo to pass on him late in the first round of the 2025 draft and it gave him a chance to make a real impact this season.
If Hairston beats out second-round pick Davison Igbinosun for the starting job during training camp, Bills fans will be happy. But if he plays a role in slowing down the Patriots’ newest weapon, he could become a hero in what could be his first year as a full-time starter.
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