Rookie CB Maxwell Hairston: Knee 'feels good' after Bills open 21-day window
On Monday, the Buffalo Bills opened cornerback Maxwell Hairston's 21-day practice window. Hairston, the Bills’ 2025 first-round draft pick, could still make an impact this season once his conditioning and live-action feel for the Bills' defense ramps up.
With more than 100 seventh-graders from West Seneca West Middle School running around at Highmark Stadium, rookie cornerback Maxwell Hairston stood at midfield, signing autographs.
The students and the Buffalo Bills rookie class had just finished a tour of the stadium – a next-level field trip for the local kids.
“I’m pretty jealous,” Hairston said. “Seventh-grade me is pretty jealous right now.”
Bills rookie cornerback Maxwell Hairston: “Being a part of the team again, feeling like I’m real with my guys again, putting the pads on again
– stuff like that is stuff I’m all grateful for.” Harry Scull Jr., Buffalo News
But he has plenty to be happy about in his modern-day life. On Monday, the Buffalo Bills opened Hairston’s 21-day practice window. Hairston, the Bills’ first-round draft pick, could still make an impact this season once his conditioning and live-action feel for the Bills’ defense ramps up. He is attempting to come back from the right knee injury he suffered in July.
Monday’s news was much welcomed by the rookie, and possibly by a defense that struggled against some of the NFL’s better receivers in back-to-back losses to New England and Atlanta before the Bills’ bye last week.
Over those past two games, opposing quarterbacks Drake Maye and Michael Penix Jr. completed 67.7% of their passes for 500 yards, averaging 8.1 yards per attempt.
“Man, just getting out there yesterday, for real, that just felt good,” Hairston said. “Being a part of the team again, feeling like I’m real with my guys again, putting the pads on again – stuff like that is stuff I’m all grateful for. And I’m just excited to keep continuing to practice and then do whatever the team needs me to do on game day.”
Hairston sprained his right lateral collateral ligament during individual drills at the start of training camp. The Bills put him on injured reserve ahead of the season. He has been working to the side at practice for the last stretch, but Monday he took the latest step forward. In doing so, he said, his knee is doing well.
“Feels good, feels good,” Hairston said of his knee, one day after the Bills returned to practice after their bye weekend. “(Monday) felt great. So excited to be back on the field, man. Like, this is all I care about, is just being with my teammates, being a part of the team and doing whatever I can to help the team.”
All along the way, however, Bills coach Sean McDermott has tempered expectations for a rookie who missed all three preseason games, nearly all of training camp and the first six games of the regular season, not to mention all the practice time in between.
McDermott tried to protect Hairston from having too much on his plate, and repeatedly, the coach has stressed “managing expectations” when it comes to Hairston and his return.
Hairston seemed prepared to follow his coach’s lead.
“Well, for me, personally, the only expectation I care about is the expectations from within the team,” Hairston said. “Any outside noise isn’t important. Any noise outside the building isn’t important. I just want to do my one-eleventh and contribute to the team as much as I can, while still being a great teammate.”
In the interim, Hairston said he’s been trying to stay positive despite the injury. He credited the Bills coaches, staff and the rookie class in particular for helping him through the last few months.
During that time, he still tried to learn anything he could about football at the pro level.
“I was really able to live from a different perspective, live from a different point of view and learn the game from off the field, and still taking mental reps while also expanding my knowledge on the playbook,” Hairston said. “And just banking what I see, seeing how our guys react to the opposing team and vice versa, and just looking at it from a different point of view.”
The Bills have navigated ups and downs at cornerback this season. Veteran Tre’Davious White also was injured to start this season, missing the opener against Baltimore, forcing rookie Dorian Strong into the starting lineup.
White has had mixed results since his return as the No. 2 cornerback opposite Christian Benford; with 27 tackles, White has been mostly solid in run support but has been beaten at times at key points in coverage. Strong remained in the mix until he suffered a neck injury. Strong is also now on injured reserve.
Benford injured his Achilles during the Bills’ loss to the Falcons but was able to return. With Strong and Hairston down, the Bills played out the game with Benford, White and Ja’Marcus Ingram.
“We’ve got to continue to move our team in the right direction,” McDermott said over the bye week. “And their play is going to be pivotal for us as we move forward here. So, I remain confident in those three guys.”
The Bills will see what timeline makes sense when it comes to weaving Hairston back in. McDermott has not yet said whether he will use a rotation at cornerback, instead emphasizing “one day at a time” for Hairston.
But on an off day, Hairston and the rest of the rookie class enjoyed their time with the West Seneca West seventh graders. A tour of the soon-to-be-closed Highmark Stadium took the rookies to parts of the stadium the players never visited before.
“Even though we’re technically touring them, I’m getting a tour as well,” Hairston said.
If Hairston is to take the field during the final season at this Highmark Stadium – as he is trending to – he’ll relish it.
“I’m honestly grateful that I get to experience the old, and then I get to play in the new,” Hairston said. “So, I’m glad I get a taste of both worlds. … I’m glad I get to live in both.”
