The preseason for the Buffalo Bills is officially over as the Bills ended it with a thrilling 28-27 comeback win over the Pittsburgh Steelers. Throughout this entire preseason, fans have had the chance to see players compete in training camp as well as the preseason. Now with three games under their belt, it’s time for the coaching staff to start making some roster decisions.
Head coach Joe Brady took over a championship team that has been built up for the last decade, and he is now tasked to do what Sean McDermott couldn't. First, he and his staff will have to decide on who will be on the final 53-man roster, and then figure out the depth chart on both sides of the ball.
The defense has a new-look with a new scheme under Jim Leonhard, so things will look much different than they have in recent memory. One position that became a battle that fans didn't expect for the summer was the CB2 spot when the Bills traded up in the second round for Ohio State cornerback Davison Igbinosun.
CB2 spot for Bills became a competition that fans may not have expected
Buffalo drafted Maxwell Hairston in the first round in the 2025 NFL Draft with hopes for him to be the second starting corner opposite of Christian Benford. However, he started his career late as he dealt with a knee injury to open the season (in which he didn’t play until Week 8), and then he had both good and bad moments.
When the Bills acquired Igbinosun late in the second round this past NFL Draft, it caught fans off guard because even though the Bills needed depth at corner, drafting one in the second round was very surprising.
At the same time, Igbinosun has turned out to be a solid pick up to this point because of his physicality and intensity that he has brought on the field, whether it was in practice or in preseason games. Not to mention, Hairston has struggled this summer and didn't have the best preseason, which included him giving up a touchdown against a rookie wide receiver in Germie Bernard against the Pittsburgh Steelers.
For anyone that thought there was a chance that Hairston would not be a starter on the defense, Joe Brady has cleared that up with his comments after the Bills' win over the Steelers.
Joe Brady solidifies CB2 spot (and it may confuse fans)
After the preseason finale, Brady was asked by the media on whether or not there is a CB2 competition involving Hairston, and according to Joe Buscaglia of The Athletic, Brady said that Hairston is the starter.
Bills HC Joe Brady on Maxwell Hairston and if there’s a competition for CB2: “He’s our starting corner”
— Joe Buscaglia (@JoeBuscaglia) August 28, 2026
It's no secret that Igbinosun has been the better corner this summer. However, it seems like Hairston will be getting another chance to fully be on the field from the start. With him being a first-round pick from last year, maybe the Bills will want to make it work.
Either way, it will be interesting to see if Brady's comments are indeed true come Week 1 against the Houston Texans.
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