Bills Need Injury Insurance for Fragile Cornerback Who Missed Friday's Practice

Whether it's what he intended to say, former President George W. Bush said it best.

"Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me [twice] - you can't get fooled again."

Believe it or not, the old quote has plenty of relevancy at Buffalo Bills' training camp this summer.

The Bills, who have been without one of their key cornerbacks in each of their last three playoff losses, again lack depth at the premium defensive position. We wrote about the issue on Thursday, and the conversation only gained intensity one day later.

With Maxwell Hairston being held out of the final training camp practice at St. John Fisher University, Friday served as a reminder that general manager Brandon Beane has some work to do.

"Max will be out today. We're trying to just be precautionary with some of the stuff with guys coming off a [inaudible] day. It's not nothing that we're concerned about," said Bills' first-year head coach Joe Brady.

Although Brady downplayed Hairston's current status, there are multiple reasons for concern, especially considering the 2025 first-round draft pick's injury history.

After franchise cornerback Christian Benford, Hairston, who has only 11 NFL starts under his belt, finds himself competing against second-round rookie Davison Igbinosun for CB2 duties. Behind those three, it's undrafted rookie Kani Walker.

If the past is any indication, the Bills could be forced to rely on Walker in the playoffs against Patrick Mahomes unless Beane acts. Furthermore, Hairston's seeming fragility, coupled with the high injury rate around the league, makes the need for reliable CB insurance even greater.

It's still puzzling as to why the Bills have yet to re-sign veteran cornerback Tre'Davious White. Considering White wasn't even enough last season, Buffalo appears to be at a more substantial deficit than this time in 2025.

What's happening with Maxwell Hairston?

It certainly wasn't an ideal maiden voyage for Maxwell Hairston.

The first-round cornerback was on the shelf at both the start and end of his rookie season. Initially set back by a training camp knee injury, Hairston missed the first six games of the 2025 regular season schedule. After finally getting on the field and gaining momentum, Hairston suffered an ankle injury in the Week 18 finale.

Although he was off to a healthy start this summer, Hairston is again dealing with some sort of leg issue. It's worth noting that he sat out the final 11-on-11 period during Thursday's open practice.

Spectrum News 1 reporter Andy Young spotted Hairston testing out his leg on the sideline.

While it's only a "precaution" now, the Bills must prepare in case Hairston's status elevates to an emergency like it did one year ago.

Will Beane get fooled again into thinking that the Bills have enough capable CB options in the building?

— Sign up for OnSI’s Free Buffalo Bills Newsletter —

Add us as a preferred source on Google