The Buffalo Bills have been waiting close to two months to see first-round cornerback Maxwell Hairston get back onto the field, and the team now faces a looming decision on his return.
Hairston went down during training camp with what appeared to be a serious leg injury, though the team later revealed that it would not be a season-ending ailment. Hairston was placed on injured reserve at the start of the season and is now eligible to return at any time, though the team has not yet given a strong indication of when that could happen.
Maxwell Hairston Increasing His Workload on the Field
Hairston’s four-week injured reserve stint ended after the team’s win over the New Orleans Saints on Sunday. The Bills can choose to keep him on injured reserve for longer or open his three-week practice window, though they have not yet said what they plan to do.
There are signs that Hairston could be growing closer to a return. A video posted last week by WGRZ’s Jon Scott showed him working with athletic trainers, backpedaling and changing direction while wearing a knee brace.
Bills head coach Sean McDermott said he wasn’t sure if Hairston or the other players placed on injured reserve to start the season would be ready to come back this week or later.
“I don’t have great word on that,” McDermott said, via SI.com. “[Head Athletic Trainer] Nate [Breske] has been working through, it’s just the day after the game at this point. So, I’m sure we’ll connect later tonight.”
McDermott added that the team would have discussions on when Hairston and the others are ready to return, and how they can clear a roster spot to make room for them.
“You want them all back as soon as possible, you just have to — there’s other parts of that conversation that are important and one thing affects another,” McDermott said. “Number one is them getting healthy enough to be back, and then two, what is the next move? The corresponding move after that.”
Even when Hairston is healthy enough to return, he may need more time in practice to make up for the critical time he missed in training camp and the preseason.
Bills Already Making Changes at the Position
The Bills tapped veteran Tre’Davious White to start at cornerback alongside Christian Benford, but have been working to get another rookie some playing time. McDermott sent White to the bench for some stretches of Sunday’s win over the New Orleans Saints, getting playing time for sixth-round pick Dorian Strong.
Strong already has a start under his belt, starting in place of White for the team’s Week 1 win over the Baltimore Ravens. Justin Melo of USA Today’s Bills Wire predicted that the team would continue to find ways for Strong to get playing time.
“Veteran cornerback Tre’Davious White played 100% of defensive snaps in Week 3. That wasn’t the case versus the Saints,” Melo noted. “Rookie cornerback Dorian Strong earned 15 snaps, eating into White’s workload. Strong could continue earning playing time until first-round cornerback Maxwell Hairston is ready.”
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