Joe Brady clears the air on the defensive depth chart, naming Maxwell Hairston a Week 1 starter despite preseason rust and a looming challenge from rookie standout Davison Igbinosun.
The Buffalo Bills have confirmed who their starting outside cornerback opposite Christian Benford will be in Week 1.
Speaking after the team's 28-27 comeback win against the Pittsburgh Steelers on Thursday night, head coach Joe Brady announced that second-year corner Maxwell Hairston will start against the Houston Texans.
Hairston has spent time on the sidelines due to a groin injury this preseason but finally got on the field against the Steelers. The performance was a mixed bag for his first game, which included a missed tackle that directly led to a Pittsburgh touchdown.
After the game, however, Brady spoke on Hairston's play and his skill while confirming the news.
"I thought it was important for Maxwell; he hasn’t had an opportunity,” Brady told the media on Thursday. "I thought it was just good for him to just be able to come out, go through it, get a feel for the environment and game, all of that. That was the biggest reason for it."
Brady then confirmed the starting news.
"He's our starting corner. Maxwell's got exactly what we look for in a corner," Brady said.
Regarding the missed tackle, Brady said that's why he played as much as he did on Thursday. It was all done to get him on the field now, and work out any of the rust or kinks that come with missing so much time. That's what, as he put it, the preseason is all about.
"That's why you go through the preseason to feel that to be able to clean that stuff up," Brady said. "He's our guy. And we're fortunate of who we got."
With Hairston set to start in Houston, that means rookie Davison Igbinosun will be the team's third boundary corner. Throughout training camp and the preseason, Igbinosun looked comfortable in the expanded role while filling in for Hairston. His play was a big reason why there were even questions about Hairston's status.
Igbinosun may not be starting come September 13, but it's expected he'll see plenty of playing time nonetheless. The Bills defense will be about matchups and aggressive play. If defensive coordinator Jim Leonhard sees an oppoprtunity to put the former Ohio STate Buckeye on the field, there's no doubt that's what he'll do.
