Bills coach Sean McDermott announced that rookie cornerback Maxwell Hairston is unlikely to play in the Wild Card round while explaining Buffalo’s limited defensive options late against the Jets.
The Buffalo Bills are going to be without one of their more promising young players.
Head coach Sean McDermott met with the media Monday afternoon and, as expected, much of the focus centered on the health of the team heading into the AFC Wild Card round.
One of the biggest concerns coming out of Buffalo’s Week 18 win over the New York Jets is rookie cornerback Maxwell Hairston. Hairston suffered an ankle injury in the fourth quarter, and while McDermott stopped short of ruling him out, it doesn’t sound promising for this weekend’s matchup against the Jacksonville Jaguars.
“We’ll see where that goes as we move forward,” McDermott said when asked about Hairston’s status.
The injury is another blow to a cornerback room that has been tested repeatedly over the season. Hairston was pressed into extended action late against the Jets due to a combination of injuries, roster limitations, and game-day elevations that left the Bills with little flexibility.
McDermott explained that the situation was less about choice and more about necessity.
“Just going back on that, you want to be able to protect everyone in a game like yesterday. Unfortunately, you’re not able to,” McDermott said. “With our situation and the way it was, we normally have four corners on the roster. About a month and a half ago we’re down to three.”
That shortage forced Buffalo to make difficult decisions when finalizing its game-day roster. According to McDermott, the Bills opted to prioritize depth at linebacker and along the defensive line, especially after injuries mounted.
“Looking at the practice squad because the ups we needed to have, we went to the linebacker position, first losing Terrel Bernard in the Eagles game,” McDermott said. “With that we felt like we needed an extra linebacker to go into the game.”
On the defensive line, the Bills also elevated help rest Joey Bosa and Greg Rousseau, leaving them unable to bring up Dane Jackson from the practice squad without cutting another player.
“Unfortunately, we weren’t able to get Dane up,” McDermott said. “So, unfortunately, we were a little landlocked there. We would’ve loved to be able to rotate somebody, but that’s where we’re at right now.”
McDermott also acknowledged that playing someone at corner who isn’t accustomed to the position was discussed, but it wasn’t a realistic option given how thin the defense already was.
“It was a consideration,” he said. “We were losing players on the defensive side as it was… Trying to protect everybody, it was a tough deal there.”
Looking ahead to the playoffs, help may be on the way. With the postseason eliminating the three-game limit on practice squad call-ups, Jackson is likely to be elevated this week to provide depth at cornerback. The Bills can still only elevate two players per week, but the added flexibility should help stabilize a position group that has been stretched to its limit at the most critical time of the season.