As stated previously the Bills with Josh Allen healthy will unequivocally have one of the premier if not the premier offensive attack in the sport next season. The defensive side of the ball will be the bigger concern for the Bills as the team has moved off defensive minded head coach Sean McDermott, the team also has a rookie offensive minded head coach and a rookie defensive coordinator as well. The personnel that the Bills have on defense is very ordinary if not less than average as well and the Bills have many defensive question marks heading into 2026 as a result. Here I will go into detail assessing the secondary of the team after I already went into detail dissecting the front seven of the team in another piece.
Set to start at the first of the two primary cornerback spots is Christian Benford who is a very underrated player in the NFL and one of the better if not one of the best corners in the league. Benford struggled as a rookie as one would expect in 2022, however the next two seasons Benford was graded as a top 10 if not a top 5 corner according to Pro Football Focus in both seasons playing starter snaps. Benford was not quite as good this past season in 2025 but still graded in the above average to well above average range.
Set to start at the strong safety spot is 2024 2nd rounder Cole Bishop who has looked strong in limited NFL action. Bishop struggled as a rookie in 2024 but last season in 2025 Bishop graded in the top 25% among players at his position according to Pro Football Focus. Bishop is a high draft pick who has shown promise and has proven to be a very good player thus far. Bishop has not had the chance to enter his prime yet and could emerge as a star soon as he is set to enter his prime in 2026.
Set to start at the free safety spot is veteran Geno Stone who is inconsistent, but who can be very productive. In five seasons of taking extended snaps Stone has graded in the below average to well below average range three times, while grading in the above average to well above average range twice. Stone is likely better suited as a high-end backup given his talent but inconsistencies but is set to start as of now. Stone will be a prime candidate to be replaced as a starter on the Bills’ defense if he is not on his A game as the Bills do have a very young talented free safety in Jordan Hancock behind him on the depth chart. Hancock was a rookie 5th round pick in 2025 and played very well as a rookie in limited snaps, Hancock will be on Stone’s tail for the starting position in my estimation.
Set to start at the other primary cornerback spot is 2025 first round pick Maxwell Hairston. Hairston was drafted very highly and had a strong rookie season and could be in line to break out as a star next year. Hairston graded in just the slightly above average range among players at his position this past season but doing that as a rookie is no small feat. Given his very high draft selection and strong rookie season, Hairston will be a breakout candidate among NFL players next year.
Set to start at the nickelback position is veteran CJ Gardner-Johnson who is known for having a versatile role in secondaries, playing at both corner and safety for five different teams in his career thus far. Johnson has a borderline elite ceiling but struggles with consistency ranking among the lowest graded players at his position in 2025 while ranking well above average the previous two seasons. Just like Stone, Johnson is very capable but will also be a prime candidate to be replaced as a starter in the Bills’ backend if he is not on his A game. The Bills drafted a cornerback in the 2nd round in 2026 who could step in for Johnson at the position. A full breakdown of the current Bills’ starting secondary can be found below.
Bills’ current projected starting secondary for 2026
LCB – Christian Benford – A to A-
SS – Cole Bishop – B to B+ so far as 2024 2nd rounder, could become A level player, yet to enter his prime
FS – Geno Stone – C+, high ceiling but struggles too much with consistency, could be replaced in starting lineup
RCB – Maxwell Hairston – 2025 1st rounder, solid rookie season, could break out as star next year
NB – C.J Gardner-Johnson – C+ to B-, very high ceiling but very inconsistent, could be replaced in starting lineup
From a reserve standpoint in the secondary the Bills have a few notable names, some of whom I glossed over already, that could loom large as they potentially become starters or step in temporarily in the case of injury (s). 2025 5th round safety Jordan Hancock played very well in limited snaps as a rookie and could replace Geno Stone at the starting safety spot eventually. The Bills also drafted cornerback Davison Igbinosun very high in the 2nd round in 2026 who could replace the talented but inconsistent Gardner-Johnson in the starting lineup. 2025 6th rounder Dorian Strong played at an above average clip in very limited rookie snaps which is no small feat. Strong could also step into the starting lineup and/or be a high-end caliber backup as he is set to improve heading into year 2. While the likes of Dee Alford at cornerback and Sam Franklin Jr at safety also could prove to be capable backups. A quick breakdown of the notable backups in the Bills’ secondary can be found below just like I did with the starters
Notable Bills’ Secondary Reserves
S – Jordan Hancock – 2025 5th rounder, B to B+ in limited rookie snaps
CB – Davison Igbinosun – 2026 2nd rounder
CB – Dorian Strong – 2025 6th rounder, solid in very limited rookie snaps
Three of the five starting positions in the Bills’ secondary are in very good hands as the likes of Christian Benford, Cole Bishop, and Maxwell Hairston are in line to be elite caliber players. The Bills have talent to fill the remaining two positions and the production that they get from those spots will likely dictate whether or not the Bills have a good or a great secondary next season. As if the three aforementioned players stay healthy and play to their potential and if Buffalo can get above average production from the remaining two spots, the Bills could have one of the premier secondaries in the sport next season.
