What Will Bills Do If Injured Christian Benford Can't Play vs. Patriots in Week 4?

The Buffalo Bills could be forced to activate their backup plan at the cornerback position when they host the New England Patriots on October 4 at 1 p.m. ET.

Bills' starter Christian Benford missed practice for the second day in a row due to a toe injury that forced him out during the third quarter of the Week 3 win over the Los Angeles Chargers.

Benford, who did not return to the game, seems like somewhat of a long shot to play in Week 4. He was seen wearing a walking boot on Sunday, but head coach Joe Brady wasn't ready to render him unavailable come Sunday.

“We're going to take it all the way through this week and kind of see what it looks like," said Brady.

What happens if Christian Benford isn't available?

For argument's sake, let's presume that Benford will miss one game, or two, as the Bills play it safe with their CB1 to increase the likelihood he's healthy for the long haul.

In that case, second-round rookie Davison Igbinosun is the next man up to start opposite of Maxwell Hairston as an outside cornerback. The Ohio State product totaled 30 defensive snaps against the Chargers with the majority of them coming after Benford's exit.

"He stepped up in a big way. we needed him when CB went down," said first-year defensive coordinator Jim Leonhard.

Igbinosun, who was actually on the field for the play during which Benford was injured in Week 3, took 27 total live reps on defense over the first two games.

Davison Igbinsun — Sep 27, 2026; Orchard Park, New York, USA; Los Angeles Chargers wide receiver Tre' Harris (9) carries the ball while defended by Buffalo Bills cornerback Davison Igbinosun (21) | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

"You don't want a guy's first opportunity to play to be when he has to. So, he's gotten some snaps the first two games. He's learned from it, and he stepped up," said Leonhard. "Played huge, tackled really well, huge one-on-one win on [Chargers' WR] Quentin Johnston. Proud of him, how he came in there, and he's always ready. He's a dialed-in kid who just loves to compete."

There's also an importance in building familiarity between Igbinosun and Hairston, considering the likelihood that the Bills will need to deploy that particular duo somewhere along the way.

"Just getting these guys out there, playing together. IGB came in there yesterday and he's confident," said Brady. "It was good for those guys to get those reps. Teams try to, whether they went at him or not, they were involved in some plays, and they made the plays. Like I've been saying all along, those guys just getting more and more reps is only going to benefit us as we go."

Sep 27, 2026; Orchard Park, New York, USA; Buffalo Bills cornerback Maxwell Hairston (1) is unable to make the catch | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Bills' lack of depth becomes problematic

While primary slot cornerback Dee Alford can flip outside if needed, there are no true outside cornerbacks behind Hairston and Igbinosun on the depth chart.

Furthermore, Buffalo was forced to place backup nickel cornerback Jordan Hancock onto Injured Reserve in Week 3. Therefore, if Benford winds up needing the week off, the Bills will have to make a move prior to kickoff.

In all likelihood, the team would designate undrafted rookie cornerback Kani Walker as a practice squad elevation for the Week 4 divisional game. Walker performed well during the summer, but he's an unproven option with no prior NFL experience.

The good news is that the Patriots' passing game, which no longer features Stefon Diggs, has struggled mightily thus far.

Quarterback Drake Maye, who is averaging fewer than 200 yards per game, has been intercepted six times while registering only one TD pass over the first three games. Meanwhile, WR1 AJ Brown is on Injured Reserve.

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