Bills' Week 5 Snap Count Takeaways: Maxwell Hairston Benching, Ray Davis Revival

The Buffalo Bills increased opportunities for two important second-stringers during their Monday Night Football road win over the Los Angeles Rams.

Backup running back Ray Davis and second-round rookie cornerback Davison Igbinosun each saw season-high snap counts in Week 5.

In all, the Bills' offense was on the field for 64 snaps while the defense saw 82 snaps during the overtime affair.

Quarterback Josh Allen along with offensive lineman Dion Dawkins, Alec Anderson, Connor McGovern and O'Cyrus Torrence did not come off the field on offense. Meanwhile, safety Cole Bishop was the lone player deployed for all of the defense's reps.

Here are the top takeaways from the Bills' snap counts during the 37-34 road win over the Rams on October 12.

Bills' Official Week 5 Snap Counts at Rams [@NFL345] pic.twitter.com/cH002du1jn
— Buffalo Bills on SI (@Bills_SI) October 14, 2026

Maxwell Hairston takes back seat to Davison Igbinosun

Although Maxwell Hairston, a 2025 first-round draft pick, struggled mightily against the New England Patriots in Week 4, head coach Joe Brady confirmed his starting status heading into the Monday night matchup.

When the Bills took the field for their first defensive series against the Rams, however, veteran Christian Benford and second-round rookie Davison Igbinosun were the starting outside cornerbacks.

It wasn't until the second quarter that Hairston saw his first snaps of the night. He finished with only 17 reps at cornerback (a 21 percent snap share). Meanwhile, Igbinosun saw a season-high 69 snaps (84 percent).

Oct 4, 2026; Orchard Park, New York, USA; New England Patriots wide receiver Romeo Doubs #87 makes a catch for a touchdown as Buffalo Bills cornerback Maxwell Hairston #1 defends | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

It's also notable that the undermanned Bills' defense chose to deploy practice squad defensive back Anthony Kendall for 31 snaps as the slot cornerback instead of using Hairston as a fill-in there.

Still, defensive coordinator Jim Leonhard claimed the decision on playing time had more to do with Igbinosun's hot hand than a performance-based reflection on Hairston.

"The intent was not to limit his snaps as much as we did. We thought IGB was playing well yesterday and kind of rolled with him on the outside," said Leonhard on Tuesday.

Igbinosun, who appears stronger against the run than Hairston, totaled seven tackles and one pass break-up against the Rams' high-powered attack. There are signs that the Bills are considering at least 50-50 platoon moving forward.

Oct 12, 2026; Inglewood, California, USA; Los Angeles Rams wide receiver Puka Nacua (12) makes a catch for a touchdown as Buffalo Bills cornerback Davison Igbinosun (21) defends | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Ray Davis revival may intensify with James Cook's fumbling problem

According to Brady, earlier this month, the plan is to find more chances for Davis to contribute on offense.

"But the running back right now, I got to get Ray playing more," said Brady in the wake of the Week 3 win over the Los Angeles Chargers.

Davis averaged only six offensive snaps over the season's first four weeks, but his saw an uptick on Monday night. After bringing the heat on the opening kickoff, returning the ball 70 yards to the Rams' 26, Davis proceeded to see 10 offensive snaps. He touched the ball three times on offense, twice as a rusher and once on a 31-yard catch-and-run.

While the Bills gradually upped Davis's playing time, bellcow starter James Cook fumbled twice during the game. The second miscue turned the ball over to the Rams in overtime.

"Some point, there has to be consequences when we're putting negative stuff out there. And so it's the conversations that we're having on going. James knows it's important to him, but that can't happen. And it's going to cost us football games. It almost cost us one. ... So, it's got to improve, or the carries are going to decrease," said Brady.

It's not out of the question for the Bills to move closer to their approach from 2024 when Cook played only 50 percent of snaps with Davis seeing a 24 percent share.

DeWayne Carter come-up

Once tabbed as a potential training camp cut candidate, defensive lineman DeWayne Carter has become a key piece in the rotation thus far this season.

Carter totaled 37 snaps against the Rams. It was the fourth game in a row where he was on the field at least 45 percent of the time.

"DeWayne has been very consistent. He's physical. We need him to be physical. We need him to change the math in the run game at times, and he's doing a great job of that," said Leonhard.

Oct 12, 2026; Inglewood, California, USA; Los Angeles Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford (9) is sacked by Buffalo Bills defensive tackle DeWayne Carter (90) during the second quarter at SoFi Stadium. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Carter, a 2024 third-round draft pick, missed the entire 2025 campaign after tearing his Achilles prior to the opener.

"Anytime you see a guy coming off an injury like that, he's continued to grow in his confidence and his physicality on the field," said Leonhard.

Hello, TJ Sanders

Defensive lineman TJ Sanders had yet to see live game action this season due to a minor knee issue and a subsequent unrelated appendectomy.

Debuting against the Rams, the 2025 second-round selection logged 51 snaps. He made five tackles in addition to a consequential stop on a two-point conversion attempt.

"TJ was great. He was like a little kid out there, man. He was really excited to get back on the field and show what he can do. And it wasn't perfect by any stretch, but he fought. He battled," said Leonhard.

TJ Sanders — Sep 28, 2025; Orchard Park, New York, USA; New Orleans Saints quarterback Spencer Rattler (2) runs from pressure from Buffalo Bills defensive tackle TJ. Sanders (98) | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Snaps missed due to injury checks

There were three noteworthy moments when players were forced to exit due to in-game injuries on Monday night.

Atop the list, starting right tackle Spencer Brown left after 16 snaps and did not return. Called into duty, Tylan Grable subbed in at right tackle for the ensuing 48 snaps.

Benford, who missed the Week 4 loss due to a toe injury, initially appeared to reaggravate his foot issue while tackling Puka Nacua. He was cleared to return after missing five snaps.

Safety Chauncey Gardner-Johnson, who played 78 of 82 reps, went down due to a potential knee problem. He was briefly examined before returning.

Backup safety Damar Hamlin was in action for 26 snaps.

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