Predicting Result of Bills' Cornerback Battle After Minicamp

There are a few positional battles to watch at Buffalo Bills training camp, none more intriguing than the upcoming competition between Maxwell Hairston and Davison Igbinosun for a role as one of the team’s starting cornerbacks.

Christian Benford returns as an incumbent starter after developing into one of the league’s top coverage men over the past few seasons, but he still needs a running mate.

This past season, Hairston began the year injured before returning and showing some flashes of brilliance, including recording a couple of interceptions while playing 56% of the Bills’ defensive snaps during his rookie campaign. However, the 2025 first-round pick didn’t show anything near enough to guarantee himself a spot in the team’s starting lineup in his second year in the NFL.

Enter Igbinosun, who was a surprising pick at No. 62 overall in the second round, a position the Bills traded up to be in. Nevertheless, all signs point to him having a realistic shot to win the job, which would not be good news for Hairston early in his career. If Igbinosun can steal the show at training camp, which is expected to begin on July 29, it would be one of the more unexpected outcomes of a Bills positional battle that we’ve seen in recent years.

So, the question remains, what’s going to happen when the team hits the field at St. John Fisher University. Let’s take a look.

Predicting the battle for Bills CB2

Ohio State defensive back Davison Igbinosun (DB15) during the NFL Scouting Combine at Lucas Oil Stadium. | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Igbinosun is the wild card here. He received some positive reviews throughout the Bills’ OTAs and mandatory minicamp, but it remains to be seen if his aggressive style will translate to the NFL level. The former Ohio State Buckeyes defender had 30 flags thrown against him throughout his collegiate career, according to Pro Football Focus. However, there is hope he has found a solution to his penalty woes, as he was only flagged five times in 2025 as opposed to having a whopping 16 penalties called against him the year before.

Despite his undisciplined play proving to be a significant issue in the past, he did receive a favorable coverage grade from PFF last year, when he received a 79.9 grade, which was 94th among 896 players graded at the position. He was targeted 46 times and allowed 22 receptions for 207 yards, allowing the lowest reception rate of his collegiate career [47.8%] and a couple interceptions without allowing a single touchdown.

Igbinosun is coming off an impressive final season with the Buckeyes, but he will have to outdo Hairston, who will be trying his best to fend off the rookie in a month and a half.

Hairston was hot and cold last year, with his top performance coming in his second professional game against the Kansas City Chiefs in Week 9 on Nov. 2, 2025. He played nearly half [49.1%] of the Bills’ defensive snaps, was targeted only once, recording an interception on a pass intended for wide receiver Xavier Worthy.

Accompanying the success he found a year ago, there were also bumps in the road, including the very next week in Week 10 against the Miami Dolphins on Nov. 9, 2025. In that game, Hairston was peppered with six targets, allowing four receptions for 83 yards, including a 38-yard touchdown reception from Jaylen Waddle.

Hairston should still be considered the front-runner for the starting job, and at the end of the day, I believe he will seize control of the preseason competition by the time preparations for Week 1 begin. He is a former first-round pick and has the athletic profile that seems to fit what first-year defensive coordinator Jim Leonhard will want in his new-look scheme, which will feature a 3-4 base.

With that said, Igbinosun should not be counted out, particularly due to Hairston’s injury history, which included two multi-game absences last season.

A dark horse candidate is Tre’Davious White

If the Bills are either approaching or amid training camp and don’t feel they’ve seen enough from Hairston or Igbinosun to guarantee them the job at this young stage of their careers, there is an outside chance Buffalo could reach out to the team’ 2017 first-round pick Tre’Davious White, who remains a free agent.

White started 16 games for the Bills last season, allowing an opposing passer rating of 66.3 when targeted 42 times in coverage. In total, he allowed 19 receptions for 207 yards and a couple of touchdowns while coming away with an interception, according to Next Gen Stats.

If he is willing to either compete for a starting job or begin the season as a reserve, White is the best remaining option for the Bills to seek additional support in the secondary. However, it’s unclear if the Bills would be willing to stunt the growth of their two youngsters in favor of another kick at the can with the 31-year-old White.

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