The Buffalo Bills tried to get through Week 18 without any injuries, resting most of their starters in their blowout win over the New York Jets, but they were put in a bind at cornerback and paid the price.
Head coach Sean McDermott said on Monday that rookie first-round pick Maxwell Hairston is unlikely to play against the Jacksonville Jaguars in the Wild Card round due to an ankle injury he suffered in the second half of the season finale.
Two days later, the Bills made roster moves that signal some confirmation of Hairston’s unavailability. The team placed defensive tackle Jordan Philips on injured reserve, signed cornerback Dane Jackson to the active roster, and added another corner to the practice squad, Daryl Porter Jr., who spent the bulk of his rookie season with the Pittsburgh Steelers, playing four snaps in one game.
Buffalo Bills build depth at cornerback with Maxwell Hairston expected to miss Wild Card round
As McDermott explained on Monday, Jackson was out of ‘ups’ for the season finale, and so he couldn’t be added to the gameday roster from the practice squad against New York, leading to Buffalo playing Hairston and Tre White on the boundary for most of the game. With Jackson on the active roster and Porter on the practice squad, the Bills are positioned to ensure depth behind White and Christian Benford on Sunday.
Of course, the Jaguars' offense carries one of the strongest passing games in the AFC this postseason, led by quarterback Trevor Lawrence and mid-season pickup Jakobi Meyers at receiver. The Bills’ secondary will need all the help it can get if they are to advance to the second round of the playoffs.
Meyers primarily plays in the slot, so Buffalo could use a mixture of Benford and Taron Johnson to contend with him while trading Benford and White on the outside against Brian Thomas, Jr. Regardless of how the Bills matchup with the talented receivers in Duval, the point stands that Buffalo’s defense has more insurance behind its top two corners in case of emergency.
READ MORE: Hall of Fame coach puts Bills in laughable power ranking spot ahead of playoffs
The Bills will be able to make two practice squad elevations for the Wild Card game, which means Porter could be in line to serve as the No. 4 outside corner. With Philips on IR on the defensive line, the Bills could lean on Phidarian Mathis for more reps in the rotation, offering some flexibility with their other elevation if they choose to make one.
While the moves on Wednesday don’t completely absolve the concerns Hairston’s injury brought to Bills Mafia’s doorstep ahead of the playoffs, they do ease them a bit. Hopefully, of course, Jackson and Porter are ready to answer the call for the defense in the postseason. Jackson has played in five playoff games for the Bills in his career, where he has 16 tackles and five pass deflections.