The Bills have been in desperate need of cornerback help this season. They’ve tried a number of combinations, and none of them have seemed to work. That is, until Sunday, when Maxwell Hairston finally made it back onto the field.
After injuring his knee early on in camp, Hairston finally made it back onto the field for his NFL debut in Week 8. And he surely didn’t disappoint. The Panthers pass offense left a lot to be desired with Andy Dalton under center, but the Bills have to be thrilled with the production they for from their first-round pick on Sunday.
Bills get elite production from Hairston right away
Hairston did not allow a single reception in Week 8 because he wasn’t targeted, a sign of how good he was in coverage that Andy Dalton didn’t try to test him. And because of his strong debut, he made his way onto the All-Rookie Team in Week 8, courtesy of Pro Football Focus. Here is a snippet of what they had to say about the former SEC defender against the Panthers:
"Hairston made his NFL debut in Carolina, playing 27 snaps and recording a solid 75.7 PFF coverage grade. While he wasn’t targeted, he did make a stop for a short gain on a screen pass. Hairston also earned a positive grade in run defense as he dipped underneath a pulling tight end to cut off any potential for a bounce to the outside."Pro Football Focus on Maxwell Hairston
The Bills did a nice job of managing Hairston’s snaps in Week 8 so that he wasn’t overexposed or overworked. But with the Chiefs coming into Buffalo in Week 9, the Bills might not have a choice but to rely more on their rookie defender.
Hairston has outstanding speed, and he matches up favorably with Xavier Worthy, who is the fastest player in the NFL. The Bills want to continue to ease Hairston into the lineup after missing so much time, but his skillset is desperately needed going into this AFC Championship rematch.
With Ed Oliver out for the remainder of the regular season and likely much of the playoffs, Sean McDermott might have to lean more into blitzing to create pressure up front. And that means putting more trust into the defensive backs to hold up in coverage. We know that Christian Benford and Taron Johnson are equipped for that, but finding the other outside cornerback who can do so has been an issue for Buffalo for years.
While it’s too soon to say that Hairston is the right man for the job, everything we saw from him coming out of Week 8 suggests that he is ready for that challenge. So far, so good for the former Kentucky defensive back.