Bills’ Injury To 1st Rounder Predicted To ‘Open The Door’ For Day 3 Rookie

The Buffalo Bills got some bad news on Tuesday when first round rookie cornerback, Maxwell Hairston, was forced to leave practice after suffering a non-contact knee injury during pass rush drills.

#Bills 1st round pick Maxwell Hairston left practice with the team’s head athletic trainer after looking at his right knee.#BillsMafia @BuffaloPlus pic.twitter.com/7RCYjLiYLL

— Dan Fetes (@danfetes) July 29, 2025

https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js

The video, provided by Dan Fetes of 13WHAM, shows Hairston with his arm around the athletic trainer making his way slowly off the field. It did not look like Hairston was putting his entire weight on the trainer, however, any injuries that concern an issue in-and-around the general knee area are almost never a good sign.

In his absence, Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer believes that a different rookie could come in and make an impact on defense in his debut season, despite being drafted in the sixth round of April’s draft.

Bills’ Sixth Round Pick Predicted To Make An Impact In Hairston’s Absence

“If..[Hairston is] out for an extended period, that could open the door for another rookie, sixth-rounder Dorian Strong.” Breer wrote on Tuesday, “He’s a long, aggressive corner who will at least have a role on special teams. He has also shown he might be able to do more than just that in his first year. Strong is one to keep an eye on, even if Hairston’s not out.”

The key portion of Breer’s sentence is at the end, “even if Hairston’s not out”, implying that Strong could be a fast-rising contender for the outside CB2 spot irregardless of whether the Kentucky product is present at training camp.

Strong played in 53 games in 5 seasons at Virginia Tech, recording 7 interceptions and 28 passes defended before getting drafted by the Bills with the the very first pick (#177) in the sixth round.

Who Will Be The Bill’s Starting Secondary In Week 1?

For Buffalo there is even almost picture-perfect precedent for this situation that Breer describes. Back in 2022, after the Bills moved up to the 23rd overall pick to select Kair Elam, sixth round pick, Christian Benford came out of nowhere to snatch up the starting spot opposite then CB1, All-Pro Tre’Davious White.

Benford, now the team’s top cornerback and on a lucrative 4 year, $69 million deal, will now be the onlooker as Hairston, Strong and White – who returned to the organization in April after being cut in March 2024 – fight for the final starting spot, with veteran Taron Johnson fairly safe in the nickel slot position.

There are not a ton of other options left on the exterior, although former starter, Dane Jackson, did return to the team this past free agency period, and could be an option for Buffalo in case of further injury to the position group.