The Buffalo Bills made some big investments in their secondary this offseason, bringing back a pair of veteran players before adding more talent in the NFL draft.
The infusion of talent could help boost a position that faltered in last year’s loss to the Kansas City Chiefs in the AFC Championship game, but could also push one returning player off the roster bubble.
The Athletic’s Joe Buscaglia published his post-draft estimation of the depth chart, noting that Dane Jackson could face a fight for a roster spot after the Bills added two talented cornerbacks in last month’s NFL draft.
Dane Jackson Fighting for His Spot
Jackson returned to the Bills this offseason after spending the last year with the Carolina Panthers. He had spent the first four years of his career in Buffalo, carving out a place as a key reserve after joining the team as a seventh-round pick.
Buscaglia predicted that Jackson would hover around the edge of roster cuts, falling to the No. 3 spot behind Christian Benford, first-round pick Maxwell Hairston, and fellow returning veteran Tre’Davious White.
Buscaglia wrote that Jackson would likely need to beat out another rookie, Dorian Strong, for a spot on the final roster.
“The Bills double-dipped at cornerback when they saw a falling value in Strong at the top of the sixth round,” Buscaglia wrote. “He easily could have been selected in the fourth or fifth round and is a perfect fit for their zone scheme while providing special teams abilities. Strong’s selection could be bad news for one of Jackson or [Ja’Marcus] Ingram for the 53-man roster.”
Despite the warning, Buscaglia added that the Bills could have an entirely different plan for Jackson. The Athletic’s writer noted that the Bills brought back Jackson because he is a trusted veteran and could tap him to start early in the season until Hairston is fully up to speed.
White, who suffered two major injuries over a three-year span before leaving Buffalo last offseason, could be tapped to start instead if he is healthy and up to speed.
“In case Hairston needs some time, the team signed two potential starting veteran options who know the scheme in White and Jackson, with White being the likelier to start if Hairston doesn’t win the job,” Buscaglia wrote.
Maxwell Hairston Could Become the Wild Card
Jackson’s role could depend largely on the readiness of Hairston, the former Kentucky cornerback who had a knack for making big plays in college. Hairston was the fastest player in the NFL draft, recording a time of 4.28 seconds in the 40-yard dash.
He also set his program record with three pick-sixes during college. Bills general manager Brandon Beane said Hairston’s combination of skill and athleticism was too good to pass up.
“It’s hard to have recovery speed like that,” Beane said, via the team’s official website. “Some guys run fast, they run track fast, but they don’t play fast. I don’t know if I could say 4.26, but you saw 4.3 on film as a player.
“You’re always looking to add speed as long as the football player matches it.”
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