Bills news: Previewing Buffalo’s defensive backs

Jul 25, 2026 - 15:45

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Bills news: Previewing Buffalo’s defensive backs

The Buffalo Bills’ secondary features plenty of known talents like cornerback Christian Benford and safety Cole Bishop, but there are also a lot of question marks on the back of Buffalo’s defense as we prepare for the start of training camp.

Who will start at CB2 opposite Benford? Can C.J. Gardner-Johnson provide stability as the starting safety alongside Bishop? How will second-year cornerback Maxwell Hairston develop following an injury-plagued rookie season?

Today’s edition of Buffalo Rumblinks attempts to answer some of those questions and leads off by previewing the state of Buffalo’s cornerbacks and safeties heading into the 2026 season.

Check out the assessments and then be sure to leave your thoughts on how much talent is in Buffalo’s secondary in the comments section.

The state of Buffalo’s defensive backs

Christian Benford has proven himself to be one of the league’s best lockdown cover cornerbacks, while Cole Bishop enjoyed a breakthrough 2025 campaign and is expected to take another big step forward as a dynamic playmaker at the back of the defense.

But beyond those two, there are plenty of questions in Buffalo’s secondary, a unit that saw plenty of turnover this offseason with the departure of nickel corner Taron Johnson, cornerback Tre’Davious White and safety Jordan Poyer.

In their place, the Bills signed nickel corner Dee Alford and safeties C.J. Gardner-Johnson and Geno Stone in free agency, and drafted athletic Ohio State cornerback Davison Igbinosun and talented South Carolina safety Jalon Kilgore to shore up the secondary.

We preview Buffalo’s cornerbacks—including breaking down the battle between Hairston and Igbinosun to claim the CB2 job—and dissect Buffalo’s safeties, including how Kilgore could wind up being the Bills long-term solution alongside Bishop and how fan-favorite Damar Hamlin enters training camp fighting for a spot on the 53-man roster.

Even more Bills news

Hear from Buffalo’s defensive players on why they’re looking forward to playing in defensive coordinator Jim Leonhard’s new scheme. Plus, previewing the state of Buffalo’s quarterbacks; seeing how many wins the Bills are projected for this year; seeing how optimistic the betting experts in Las Vegas feel about the Super Bowl odds for Josh Allen and the Bills; find out how the new stadium includes an homage to Bills tailgating; and more!