Christian

Benford

Benford tweaked his knee in Buffalo’s Wild Card game against the Steelers. Safety Taylor Rapp has also been ruled out. That’s two key pieces of the Bills’ defense already out for the Divisional Round with more players expected to be listed as questionable after Friday’s practice. Buffalo’s defense closed the regular season on a high note but is now on its heels with this recent string of injuries.

Benford suffered a knee injury early in the Bills Wild Card Round matchup with the Steelers and did not return. He was among the many banged-up Bills that Sean McDermott said earlier in the week the team was taking things day-by-day with. Benford racked up 10 pass breakups and two interceptions across 15 regular season games this year. Safety Taylor Rapp remained out of practice as well.

The Bills are already down top cornerback Rasul Douglas (knee), but Benford now also had to go to the locker room with a knee injury. In his absence, second-year cornerback Kaiir Elam missed a tackle and got called for a holding penalty but then turned in a beautiful interception in the end zone. There’s no word yet on how Benford got hurt or the long-term concerns from the injury, but the Bills secondary is very short-handed with safety Taylor Rapp out as well.

Hyde sat out Week 10 against the Broncos with a neck injury he suffered at the end of the Week 9 loss to the Bengals. Hyde also missed all but two games with a neck injury in 2022, so it’s possible that the Bills were being cautious with their star safety. While there’s no indication that Hyde will be able to play on Sunday against the Jets, the fact that he was able to practice at all on Wednesday is a good sign for Buffalo. As is the fact that starting cornerback Christian Benford, who also missed Week 10, was able to practice in a limited fashion as well.

Buffalo’s highly-paid combo of Micah Hyde and Jordan Poyer were injury list fixtures this year, with Hyde missing all but two games with a neck injury and Poyer having about six or seven different designations this season while starting just 12 regular season games. Poyer is a free agent and Hyde has a $10.5 million cap number that the Bills could move on from. That the Bills are considering this telegraphs that they will likely be moving on from at least one of their two starters this offseason.

Sounds like Tre’Davious White came back at exactly the right time. Benford will get a mini-bye ahead of Buffalo’s Week 13 game with the Patriots, but we’d be surprised if he made it back that soon.

Benford suffered a broken hand Week 3 against the Dolphins. He was able to play through the injury on Sunday, but ultimately it required surgery. McDermott did not say how long Benford is expected to be sidelined, but it would be a surprise if he is ready to go this week.

Benford’s injury wasn’t enough to pull him from Sunday’s game, but he appeared only on special teams after exiting with the injury. A rookie sixth-round draft pick, Benford has started all three games for the Bills this season. Already down Tre’Davious White (knee) and Micah Hyde, Buffalo’s secondary is noticeably thin. It’s not yet known how long Benford will be out.

We know very little about Benford. Via SI.com’s NFL Draft Bible, Benford (6'1/205) “is a big, physical cornerback with great ball-hawking abilities and a ton of overall potential. Hard initial punch when pressing receivers and can completely stop their momentum coming off of the line of scrimmage. He has a strong inside hand and has the ability to keep the receiver in front of him. Outstanding ball skills. Not only can he intercept any pass, but he is great at tracking the ball and using his hands correctly to break up passes. Very versatile player, he can play all of the cornerback positions. He is not the fastest, however, and is very vulnerable against the deep ball. He can play both man and zone coverage effectively but will be much more successful in a zone coverage scheme. He plays a very physical game and has no problem delivering a big hit, as long as he initiates contact. If he isn’t the one engaging, he can be taken out of a play. Really struggles shedding blockers and will get lost in the flow of a play. Doesn’t have the ability to match elite speed. That being said, he does have a terrific motor and will never give up on a play.”