Buffalo Bills' biggest defensive issue is unlikely to have an in-house solution

The Buffalo Bills have a major concern at the cornerback position through five games and the Week 5 loss against the New England Patriots was another shining example of that.

It's bad enough that Christian Benford isn't off to a great start in 2025, but Tre'Davious White is the bigger problem by far, as the veteran simply hasn't been up to snuff in his return to Buffalo.

At this point, the Bills need to give someone else a shot, but they are short on options right now with Dorian Strong and Maxwell Hairston on Injured Reserve.

Buffalo's healthy options include Ja'Marcus Ingram and Brandon Codrington, who are both on the 53-man roster, and veteran Dane Jackson, who is still on the practice squad. Unfortunately, none of those three options are likely to be much better, if at all.

Of course, hope remains that Hairston will be back soon and fix the Bills' issue. The first-round pick is eligible to come off injured reserve after serving his minimum four games, but there hasn't been any indication when that will actually happen.

Sep 18, 2025; Orchard Park, New York, USA; Miami Dolphins wide receiver Jaylen Waddle (17) makes a catch against Buffalo Bills cornerback Tre'Davious White (27) in the second half at Highmark Stadium. | Mark Konezny-Imagn Images

“I don’t have great word on that,” head coach Sean McDermott said of the players on IR last week. “[Head Athletic Trainer] Nate [Breske] has been working through, it’s just the day after the game at this point. So, I’m sure we’ll connect later tonight.”

If you're expecting Hairston to be some kind of immediate savior upon his return, don't hold your breath.

Hairston is a rookie who hasn't participated in practice since he suffered his LCL injury in July. Hairston is almost certainly well behind in his development as a result and is going to need significant time to get himself acclimated when healthy.

That not only means he might not be effective, but the rookie may not even see the field much right away if he doesn't have the full trust of McDermott and the Bills' staff.

That means the Bills don't have anything close to resembling an in-house solution to their problem, which also means general manager Brandon Beane needs to start working the phones.

Jun 11, 2025; Orchard Park, NY, USA; Buffalo Bills cornerback Maxwell Hairston (31) works out during Minicamp at Highmark Stadium. | Gregory Fisher-Imagn Images

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