ORCHARD PARK, NEW YORK - NOVEMBER 2: Maxwell Hairston #31 of the Buffalo Bills celebrates after intercepting a pass during the fourth quarter against the Kansas City Chiefs at Highmark Stadium on November 2, 2025 in Orchard Park, New York. (Photo by Kevin Sabitus/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Coming into the 2025 NFL season, it seemed like the Buffalo Bills had some pretty great depth at cornerback. They had a veteran who was a good placeholder thanks to his knowledge of the defensive system. They had an elite, young player who had earned a big second contract. They had a former undrafted free agent who had worked himself into an excellent special teams player while showing flashes on defense. They had a pair of draft picks who looked like they would work their way into the playing rotation, as well.
No matter how much a team plans for injuries, it’s never possible to foresee all of the possible bumps along the road to a Super Bowl, though. That elite corner started the year poorly before rebounding to look more like himself later on in the season. Both of the draft choices dealt with major injuries, missing huge swaths of time. The young, former undrafted free agent? Lost to a waiver claim that amounted to bupkis. The longest shot among those players to be a consistent contributor — the veteran coming off a series of major injuries — turned out to be the most consistent player throughout the duration of the season.
In that entire narrative above, we didn’t even touch on the slot corner situation, one that has evolved throughout the last nine months. Buffalo has had one of the league’s best for a long time, but even the best players lose a step over the years. With that, Taron Johnson has been released by the Bills, ending what was a fantastic run of play by him as former head coach Sean McDermott’s hand-picked “Buffalo Nickel” stalwart.
Additionally, Buffalo has also released veteran cornerback Dane Jackson, who, after rejoining the team as a practice-squad signing, earned a one-year contract late in the season out of roster necessity mainly due to injury at the position.
Do the Bills need a huge overhaul at corner this coming season? Do they need a few minor tweaks as they adjust to new defensive coordinator Jim Leonhard’s scheme? How much cap space can they realistically allocate to the cornerback position, anyway?
In today’s look at the state of the Buffalo Bills roster, we discuss the cornerbacks.
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Tre’Davious White
Contract Status for 2026: Unsigned; UFA
Age: 30 (31 on 1/16/2026)
Playing Time: 16 games (16 starts), 701 defensive snaps (71.38% of team total), 14 special teams snaps (3.23% of team total)
Key Statistics: 40 tackles, 6 tackles for loss, 10 pass breakups, 1 interception
White resurrected his career last season, moving beyond the placeholder veteran role he was expected to carry and inching back towards the top-flight corner he was for the Bills before ACL and Achilles injuries derailed his career. White was a starter for most of the season as rookie Maxwell Hairston recovered from a knee injury suffered during the preseason, and he played so well that he maintained that starting role even when Hairston returned to share snaps with him.
In the postseason, White started both of Buffalo’s games and allowed just four completions for 15 yards. Two of those completions did go for short touchdowns, but overall, White was excellent.
Should the Bills bring him back? It depends on how much of his success you want to credit to former head coach Sean McDermott’s scheme. White was horrendous in his one year away from Buffalo, struggling so badly with the Los Angeles Rams that he was flipped to the Baltimore Ravens for a seventh-round pick at the trade deadline. He was a sub-package corner for the Ravens to finish out the 2024 season, but he really has only been successful in Buffalo.
Did last year prove that White can do enough to remain as a strong contributor regardless of scheme? In my eyes, it depends on the kind of contract White seeks, as well as what role new defensive coordinator Jim Leonhard sees White playing.
The Bills definitely need a depth corner or two, and after a fantastic 2025 season, White is likely overqualified for that role on the open market. Do the Bills want to wager on him remaining fantastic without McDermott designing the defense?
Christian Benford
Contract Status for 2026: Signed; first year of four-year $69 million contract ($7.456 million cap hit; $16.25 million dead-cap number)
Age: 25 (26 on 9/21/2026)
Playing Time: 14 games (14 starts), 796 defensive snaps (81.06% of team total), 65 special teams snaps (14.98% of team total)
Key Statistics: 43 tackles, 4 tackles, for loss, 2 QB hits, 2 sacks, 4 pass breakups, 2 interceptions, 1 interception return touchdown, 2 fumble recoveries, 1 fumble return touchdown
Buffalo’s top corner had a difficult start to the 2025 season, as he allowed four touchdowns on 19 completions for 177 yards across Buffalo’s first five games. Opposing quarterbacks completed 70% of the passes thrown Benford’s way, and they shredded him for a 127 quarterback rating.
That situation made for some difficult conversation about the $69 million contract extension he signed, and combined with middle linebacker Terrel Bernard’s struggles, things weren’t looking good for the defensive players re-signed by general manager Brandon Beane.
Then, Benford found his footing, and by the end of the season, he was playing like the shutdown corner we’ve become accustomed to seeing. Benford allowed just 16 completions over his final 11 games, including the playoffs, for a total of just 207 yards and one touchdown.
Benford also had two of the most electric defensive plays of the season, and they came in consecutive weeks. He returned a fumble 17 yards for a touchdown to help the Bills defeat the Pittsburgh Steelers in Week 13, but it was his 63-yard interception of Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow that Benford returned for a touchdown that might have been the play of the year for Buffalo defensively.
Benford has improved every year, and he’s become much more than a scheme-reliant talent as his career has progressed. He was used to trail opposing WR1s throughout much of the latter half of the season to great success, and that’s a role that he should relish and see with even more frequency next season.
Benford was a great fit for the zone-heavy looks preferred by Sean McDermott, but he developed into a fantastic man corner, as well. That development will come in handy with new defensive coordinator Jim Leonhard.
Maxwell Hairston
Contract Status for 2026: Signed; second year of four-year rookie contract with fifth-year option ($3,467,723 cap hit; $12,483,804 dead-cap number)
Age: 22 (23 on 8/6/2026)
Playing Time: 11 games (3 starts), 348 defensive snaps (35.88% of team total), 22 special teams snaps (5.07% of team total)
Key Statistics: 18 tackles, 5 pass breakups, 2 interceptions
Hairston’s rookie season never felt like it was one consistent timeline, as he dealt with a knee injury during training camp that ultimately led him to begin the season on Injured Reserve. He did not overtake veteran Tre’Davious White as a starter like many of us expected, as White played much better than anticipated and Hairston struggled a bit with consistency.
The highs were high, though, as Hairston essentially sealed Buffalo’s 28-21 victory over the Kansas City Chiefs with a fourth-quarter interception of quarterback Patrick Mahomes. Hairston notched his second career interception the following week, picking off quarterback Tua Tagovailoa in what was ultimately a 30-13 thrashing at the hands of the Miami Dolphins.
Hairston continued to work in as the season progressed, and he played most of the defensive snaps in the regular-season finale. That ended up biting the Bills in the backside, as Hairston had his ankle rolled up on late in the game, causing a sprain that led him to miss both of the team’s postseason contests. Dane Jackson had to appear in the playoffs, and he managed to turn into burnt toast for his one defensive snap against the Denver Broncos, giving up a touchdown late in the fourth quarter.
Hairston showed enough flashes where I’d feel more than comfortable making him the starter next season, although the Bills should absolutely look to add a corner or two to supplement depth at the position. Hairston showed willingness to tackle in run support, speed to handle even the fastest receivers in man looks, and keen intelligence in zone coverages. He’s a high-quality corner.
Dorian Strong
Contract Status for 2026: Signed; second year of four-year rookie contract ($1,076,339 cap hit; $214,017 dead-cap number)
Age: 22 (23 on 3/14/2026)
Playing Time: 4 games (1 start), 46 special teams snaps (10.6% of team total), 87 defensive snaps (8.86% of team total)
Key Statistics: 10 tackles
For a moment, it looked like Strong was going to be the Christian Benford of the Bills’ 2025 NFL Draft class, with the sixth-round corner playing quite well in the early portion of the season. However, a neck injury derailed his rookie campaign, and while Strong had surgery after the year ended, it’s far from a certainty that he’ll play in the NFL again — though it does appear he’s going to try to do so.
Let’s hope that Strong can rehab and contribute next season at no detriment to his long-term health, as he was a great find late in the draft. If he can return next season, it helps the Bills to bolster their cornerback depth chart even before considering outside help.
Te’Cory Couch
Contract Status for 2026: Signed; final year of two-year contract
Age: 26 (27 on 9/6/2026)
Playing Time: NA
Key Statistics: NA
Couch has been on Buffalo’s practice squad. He’s yet to see action in a regular-season game, and while he’ll likely be with the club for the offseason, I don’t anticipate him doing much in terms of threatening to make the roster this coming season.
M.J. Devenshire
Contract Status for 2026: Unsigned; UFA
Age: 25 (26 on 9/12/2026)
Playing Time: NA
Key Statistics: NA
Devenshire spent time with the Carolina Panthers and the Baltimore Ravens last season before signing with Buffalo’s practice squad following the Darius Slay Jr./Ja’Marcus Ingram debacle. While he’s only 5’11”, Devenshire has a 6’6” wingspan, and he also has inside-outside versatility.
Devenshire is an intriguing player for camp next year, though much like Couch, he’s a longshot for the 53-man roster come September.
Darius Slay Jr.
Contract Status for 2026: Unsigned; UFA
Age: 35 (36 on 1/1/2027)
Playing Time: NA “
Key Statistics: NA
Slay did not report to Buffalo after the Bills claimed him off waivers from the Pittsburgh Steelers. There’s no sense in discussing him as if he were a member of the team, but he was technically on their roster.
Cornerbacks released by One Bills Drive on Friday, March 6
Taron Johnson
Contract Status for 2026: Released; $9,503,332 dead-cap number
Age: 29 (30 on 7/27/2026)
Playing Time: 13 games (8 starts), 570 defensive snaps (58.04% of team total), 13 special teams snaps (3% of team total)
Key Statistics: 57 tackles, 1 tackle for loss, 4 pass breakups
Buffalo’s top slot corner was a magnet for criticism this past season, but, overall, he didn’t really play far off of his career norms. Johnson allowed 63.6% of the passes thrown his way to be completed for 362 yards and two scores during the regular season. Opposing quarterbacks had a 94.7 rating when targeting him. For his career, Johnson has allowed a 65% completion rate and an 89.8 quarterback rating against, with an average of three touchdowns allowed per seventeen games.
In the postseason, Johnson had a career-best 53.8% completion rate allowed, a career-best 9.4 yards per completion allowed, a career-best 5.1 yards allowed per target, and a career-best 68.1 quarterback rating allowed. In my opinion, tales of his demise are overstated, as Johnson remains one of the league’s better slot corners.
Was that production worth a cap hit north of $11 million for next season? It’s not wise for the Bills to allot more money to their CB3 than they do to their CB1 and CB2 combined on next season’s cap, but they don’t save much money by releasing him, which now triggers a dead-cap charge of right around $9.5 million.
Dane Jackson
Age: 29 (30 on 11/29/2026)
Playing Time: 3 games, 28 special teams snaps (6.45% of team total), 3 defensive snaps (.31% of team total)
Key Statistics: 3 tackles
I can’t even be mad at Jackson, who wasn’t supposed to be anything more than a veteran insurance policy and someone who could play reps in practice. I can’t even be mad that he gave up a 26-yard touchdown to wide receiver Marvin Mims with 56 seconds left in regulation of the AFC Divisional Round contest on the one defensive snap he played in the playoffs.
I can be mad at the play call, though, as the Bills chose that moment to send a zero-blitz knowing full well that Denver’s head coach and offensive play caller, Sean Payton, would attack the weak link.
Onward and upward.
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Final Thoughts
On the bright side, Buffalo has its two starters on the outside on the roster and under contract for the foreseeable future, as both Benford and Hairston are signed, set, and ready to play. However, they now have a massive hole at slot cornerback, where Taron Johnson played the nickel role in McDermott’s system.
There’s an expected defense shift coming under Leonhard (adopting a base 3-4), so the position may be painted with a bit of a different approach. No matter what, a position that was once set-it-and-forget-it now is anything but the case with defensive back Cam Lewis previously slotting in immediately behind Johnson. We’ll discuss Lewis in greater depth when we talk about the safeties, given his multiple role in the defense.
Lewis is also a free agent. Before the news on Friday, I didn’t believe Buffalo’s move should have been to release Johnson unless they’re sure they can retain Lewis. To me, keeping the floor high at an important position such as slot corner should remain a priority. I thought a simple restructure for Johnson without adding any void years would help free up $3.4 million in cap space; but that adding void years could have provided the Bills with nearly $6 million in relief on the 2026 salary cap.
But none of that happened.
Releasing Johnson was one of two major decisions that Buffalo has to make at the corner position. The other is how much money they’re willing to give Tre’Davious White. Yes, he had a very good season in 2025, but, again, that was in a defense that he was very comfortable with under a head coach with whom he had a long-standing rapport.
The gamble in re-signing White is twofold, as the Bills would be wagering on another healthy campaign for his age-31 season while simultaneously wagering that White could play well in a defense other than Sean McDermott’s, something he was unable to do on two clubs during the 2024 season. If the Bills think the dip in White’s play for that 2024 season was due more to rehabbing injury than it was a shift in defense, then they should try to keep him on the roster for next season.
Arguably, Buffalo’s defense was more different this past year than in any other season with McDermott at the helm, with the Bills playing much more man-to-man than they did in White’s previous stint with the club. That alone could be enough to convince Buffalo that their 2017 first-round draft pick is worth retaining. How much are they willing to commit to White, though, in a year where the salary cap is a real issue?
Then, there’s the monitoring the team will have to do as it relates to Strong’s rehab. If he can come back and contribute next year, that’s a huge boost to the positional group. Strong was playing fantastic football before injuring his neck. He’d be a good third option on the outside, and if the Bills added another player via the draft or free agency, they’d be more than set.
In short, Buffalo could very well choose to mostly run it back at the corner position next season and be completely fine. They should be planning to start Benford and Hairston on the outside even if they re-sign White, but if they can keep the veteran in the fold for a reasonable number, he’s a great insurance policy who can help out in a rotational role or as a full-time starter.
Replacing Taron Johnson is the big need now, but there are some solid slot corner types Buffalo could add in the middle or later rounds of the draft — Duke’s Chandler Rivers, Wisconsin’s Ricardo Hallman, or Oregon’s Jadon Canady would fit the Bills well. If they wanted to invest a higher choice, Indiana’s Deangelo Ponds is another player who may be undersized, but would be an instant contributor to Buffalo’s defense.
As with so many other positions this offseason, the salary cap is going to come into play here. The Bills have options, but those options are going to be limited by financial constraints. How many cans can Buffalo kick down the road via restructures? How much dead money do they want to eat? What kind of corner does Jim Leonhard want for his defense?
We won’t know for sure until all the dust settles, but the opening moves around the start of the new league year on March 11 have already given us a few clues.
(@SalSports) March 6, 2026
