Bills Have Rookie Cornerback Davison Igbinosun's Role Well-Defined Entering Rookie Year

Many were left scratching their heads when the Buffalo Bills decided to trade up and select Ohio State cornerback Davison Igbinosun in the second round.

The Bills needed to add cornerback depth this offseason, but doing so in the second round seemed a bit of a reach. With that said, now, those who questioned the selection at the time are now wondering where Igbiinosun will line up if he is to assume a contributing role in 2026.

Buffalo still needs to nail down a replacement for former All-Pro Taron Johnson, who was traded to the Las Vegas Raiders this offseason. Although the team brought in Dee Alford in free agency, there could be a training camp competition coming at nickel, as there is expected to be at various positions this summer.

With that said, Bills general manager/president of football operations Brandon Beane has made it clear where the team’s prized second-rounder is expected to play during his rookie campaign.

“I would say, I don’t see him necessarily with a nickel skill set,” said Beane after the draft. “I’m not saying—we like versatility. It's not that we would never rep him there and see how he does. I don't necessarily project that from my lens. As we see there—I see him more as an outside guy.”

So while the Bills drafted a number of players who appear set to train across various alignments at their position, it seems Igbinosun’s role is well-defined with the offseason program set to kick into full swing.

Assessing the situation

Ohio State Buckeyes cornerback Davison Igbinosun catches a ball during Pro Day for NFL scouts at the Woody Hayes Athletics Center on March 25, 2026. | Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Alford is a four-year veteran with 64 NFL games played, including 23 starts, under his belt. He is coming off a solid season in which he recorded three interceptions with the Atlanta Falcons.

Elsewhere, the Bills drafted Igbinosun’s former Ohio State teammate Jordan Hancock in the fifth round of the 2025 draft, and he could also weigh into the team’s decision at nickel cornerback, per Beane.

“Hancock’s played nickel,” he said. “I think we’ve got some guys that can do that role as well.”

So that will leave Igbinosun to focus on the outside, where incumbent starter Christian Benford and 2025 first-round pick Maxwell Hairston are expected to line up opposite one another in the team’s opening-day lineup. This past season with the Buckeyes, the 6-foot-2, 195-pound cornerback recorded a couple of interceptions while receiving a Pro Football Focus coverage grade of 79.9, which was 94th among 896 players graded at the position.

The main question

While Benford and Hairston are “penciled in” as the team’s two first-teamers at this point in the offseason, according to Beane, he left the door open for Igbinosun to beat Hairston out for the starting role, as OnSI’s Ralph Ventre wrote previously.

Hairston dealt with injuries during his rookie season and was up-and-down during his time on the field. He finished the year playing in 11 games, including three starts, recording 18 tackles and two interceptions. Hairston earned a PFF coverage grade of 68, which was an impressive 34th among 114 cornerbacks graded.

Hairston is the leader in the clubhouse, and Igbinosun has yet to cement himself as a boundary cornerback. As mentioned before, maybe we see him transform into a better player at the nickel position.

However, opportunity awaits Igbinosun, who, according to Beane, will begin his career next to Hairston on the depth chart as one of the team’s top-three boundary cornerbacks.

Sign up to our free newsletter and follow us on Facebook, X and Instagram for the latest news.

Add us as a preferred source on Google