Buffalo’s second-year cornerback reclaimed his collegiate identity and swagger. Now, he must overcome injury setbacks to defend his starting role against rising competition in the Bills secondary.
When the Buffalo Bills released their initial depth chart for the Week 1 against Houston, many pointed out the fact that cornerback Maxwell Hairston had a different number.
After spending his rookie season wearing No. 31. in Buffalo, Hairston was listed as No. 1. So, was it a typo or an actual number change the week of the first game?
Turns out, it was an intentional change by Hairston.
Speaking on Thursday about the decision to go from 31 to 1, the second-year cornerback out of Kentucky had some interesting comments.
"[It was] just me realizing I'm uno," he said via WKBW's Matt Bové. "I'm the chosen one, and I stand by that. And that's just me getting back into my number I've always had."
When in college, Hairston wore No. 31 his first three seasons in Lexington. His third year, after his Bills teammate Ray Davis left for the NFL, Hairston was able to take the No. 1 back.
When he was drafted by the Bills, the team already had a player in the jersey in wide receiver Curtis Samuel. After he was let go, Mecole Hardman Jr. wore it. With Hardman released, Hairston was able to change his number before the start of the regular season.
"Once I got 31 here, knowing I got 31 at Kentucky to begin with and switch to 1, that was my plan," he said. "It was just a matter of time."
Jersey numbers aside, Hairston is entering a pivotal season in his career. As a rookie, the 23-year-old missed considerable time due to injuries. That continued into training camp where he missed most of camp and didn't see the field until the final preseason game against the Pittsburgh Steelers.
With a competitive rookie behind him in Davison Igbinosun, there's pressure on Hairston to prove he should remain the starting corner opposite Christian Benford. Should he stumble in the early part of the season, especially after referring to himself as "the chosen one" it may be sooner rather than later that he falls down the depth chart.
The Bills open their season on Sunday afternoon with a 1pm ET kickoff against the Houston Texans.
