Bills' CB2 position battle takes center stage as training camp begins

The Buffalo Bills are looking for someone to step up and claim the CB2 role.

Buffalo Bills Maxwell Hairston jogs to another area of the field during voluntary workout at their practice facility. | Tina MacIntyre-Yee/Democrat and Chronicle / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The Buffalo Bills veterans report on Tuesday for the start of their 2025 training camp, which will be held at St. John Fisher University in Rochester.

They’re coming off their fifth consecutive AFC East win and were one game shy of the Super Bowl last season. General manager Brandon Beane and head coach Sean McDermott believed the defense needed to improve to get over their playoff hump.

With that in mind, they made several moves on defense, including using six of their picks in the NFL draft on defenders. That began with Kentucky cornerback Maxwell Hairston in Round 1, who will have a lot of eyes on him during camp.

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Hairston is involved in one of the their most important position battles, with ESPN’s Alaina Getzenberg saying the spot “opposite Christian Benford is up for grabs.”

Jul 29, 2024; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Los Angeles Rams cornerback Tre'Davious White (27) looks on during training camp at Loyola Marymount University | Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

”The job opposite Christian Benford is up for grabs after last year's starter Rasul Douglas was not re-signed this offseason. Instead, the position will likely be between returning 2017 first-round pick Tre'Davious White and this year's first-round pick, Maxwell Hairston, for the role. The team also re-signed 2020 seventh-round pick Dane Jackson, who could be valuable depth depending on how things progress.”

Buffalo has no shortage of options, but it’s safe to assume they would love to see Hairston win the job. He has sub 4.3 speed which could make a world of difference if he proves ready to start.

Buffalo Bills cornerback Maxwell Hairston works out during Minicamp at Highmark Stadium. | Gregory Fisher-Imagn Images

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