2 — Maxwell Hairston named a starting cornerback
Bills cornerbacks Maxwell Hairston and Davison Igbinosun both started against the Steelers, playing the first half. For Hairston, last year’s first-round pick, it was the first preseason game of his career.
“I thought it was important for Maxwell, he hasn’t had an opportunity,” Brady said of his decision to play Hairston. “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 also had another announcement regarding Hairston, officially naming him as the team’s second starting cornerback across from Christian Benford.
“He’s our starting corner. Maxwell’s got exactly what we look for in a corner,” Brady said.
Given Hairston’s injury-related absence in recent weeks and Igbinosun’s strong training camp, there had perhaps been ambiguity regarding the team’s thought process. Brady put any cloudiness to rest with his announcement.
Though Hairston missed a tackle that led to a touchdown in the first quarter, Brady believes those are the teaching moments that will prepare Hairston for true game action in a couple weeks.
“That’s why we want to get out there. And I know he had the missed tackle, and that’s why we’re practicing. 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.”