Bills' Injury History Underscores Need for Cornerback Depth Added Through NFL Draft

Many disagreed with the Buffalo Bills’ decision to trade up for Ohio State cornerback Davison Igbinosun in the second round of the 2026 NFL Draft, but history proves it may have been the right call.

As pointed out by Buffalo Rumblings’ Chris Trapasso, the Bills have been without one of their starting cornerbacks in each of their past five postseason defeats, dating back to the 2021 season.

That left general manager/president of football operations Brandon Beane to pull the trigger on Igbinosun, who is expected to serve as adequate depth behind starters Christian Benford and Maxwell Hairston, both of whom have had their durability tested in recent seasons.

Detailing the Bills’ injury history

Buffalo Bills cornerback Maxwell Hairston (31) warms up before a game against the Kansas City Chiefs at Highmark Stadium. | Mark Konezny-Imagn Images

This past season, Hairston sustained an ankle injury during the Bills’ final regular-season matchup with the New York Jets, which led to him being sidelined for both of Buffalo’s 2025 postseason matchups—a wild-card win over the Jacksonville Jaguars and a divisional-round loss at the hands of the Denver Broncos.

Initially, the Bills were in good shape with Tre’Davious White filling in, but they were soon left decimated when White went down during the matchup against Denver. As soon as White left the game, the Broncos attacked his replacement, Dane Jackson, for a 26-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Bo Nix to Marvin Mims, which helped Denver extend the game into overtime, where they eventually won.

The year before, Benford was lost due to his second concussion in as many weeks early in Buffalo’s 2024 AFC Championship defeat at the hands of the Kansas City Chiefs. In that game, former Bills first-round draft bust Kaiir Elam was called upon as his replacement and failed to measure up, allowing three receptions on three targets for 36 yards and a total of 15 yards after the catch while in coverage, according to Pro Football Focus.

In 2023, Christian Benford left the Bills’ first-round win over the Steelers after just 13 defensive snaps due to a knee injury and was out for Buffalo’s divisional-round defeat at the hands of the Chiefs.

The year before that, against the Bengals in the divisional round? No Benford once again. This time, it was an oblique injury that led to him being placed on Injured Reserve before a Week 12 matchup with the Detroit Lions. Benford didn’t return to action for the remainder of the season.

Finally, in the infamous ’13 seconds’ game against the Chiefs during the 2021 season, White was out due to a torn ACL he sustained during a Thanksgiving matchup.

Beane may have been on point

Buffalo Bills general manager Brandon Beane speaks at the NFL Scouting Combine at the Indiana Convention Center. | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

So, while there may have been more significant holes to fill within the Bills’ starting lineup, Beane wasn’t far off when he declared cornerback the team’s biggest need entering the selection process. If history is a guide, Buffalo will need more than its top two cornerbacks, whoever they turn out to be, as the 2026 season progresses.

We’ll see how it all works out, but it’s fair to say Igbinosun will see the field in one capacity or another during his rookie year.

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