The middle of June is no time to panic about rookies; I'm old enough to remember when Ja'Marr Chase couldn't catch a ball to save his life during his first training camp with the Bengals. The transition from even the highest levels of college football to the pros is an insane adjustment, and it's hard to get a sense of how good anyone actually is while they're practicing in shells.
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So, you know, just keep that in mind for the next few minutes. Keep that in mind while you read about how Bills cornerback Maxwell Hariston hasn't exactly wowed coaches through his first summer with the team, and keep that in mind when you read about how he's probably fighting for a starting spot with Tre'Davious White, who's also looked bad during spring workouts. In The Athletic's recent 'what we learned from offseason workouts' piece that dropped this week, the Bills' secondary reads like a bit of a mess. And while it's still probably too soon to start panicking about those sort of things, that's extremely not how being a Bills fan – or any team fan, really – works.
It sounds like Maxwell Hariston's had a bumpy start to his Bills career
"The battle to be the Bills’ second starting cornerback is wide open. The team did quite a lot this offseason to address the position, signing two players with a combined 122 starts in Buffalo in Tre’Davious White and Dane Jackson, and then drafting Maxwell Hairston in the first round and Dorian Strong in the sixth. The competition likely comes down to White and Hairston. White struggled a bit in spring workouts but knows the defense well. Hairston has the raw ability to play any coverage they want, but the Bills are coaching him hard, and he still has a way to go to be totally in tune with the scheme. The battle could go up right to the start of the regular season."
Those first two sentences are *bleak.* Doing quite a lot to address a position in the offseason and still having that position be wide open when July rolls around is a tough look. Maybe there's something to be said about Buffalo raising the level of competition in training camp and seeing who rises to the occasion, but traning camp battles aren't typically a sign of a strong, well-established position group.
Again, the beautiful warm months of early summer are no time to panic about secondary battles. There will be plenty of aggressively-humid days ahead to deal with that. But still – it's always a little concerning when initial reports about first-round picks are underwhelming. I guess it's better than worrying about the quarterback? I dunno, I'm trying.