Underrated Bills CB could become a 'star' in 2024 NFL season

CBS Sports believes that Buffalo Bills cornerback Christian Benford could become a household name in the 2024 NFL season.

Oct 26, 2023; Orchard Park, New York, USA; Buffalo Bills cornerback Christian Benford (47) warms up before a game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Highmark Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark Konezny-USA TODAY Sports / Mark Konezny-USA TODAY Sports

Few players on the Buffalo Bills’ current roster have constructed a more under-the-radar rise to prominence than Christian Benford.

He’s the epitome of a Sean McDermott defensive back in that he simply does what he’s supposed to do. He’s not necessarily flashy. He’s not a ball-hawking playmaker. He’s not an otherworldly athlete.

He just does his 1/11th, something that, through two seasons, has allowed him to emerge as a young standout on Buffalo’s defense.

He didn’t enter the league with a bevy of expectations attached to him—a sixth-round pick in the 2022 NFL Draft out of Division 1 FCS school Villanova, it was difficult to expect much of anything from the defender. The more oft-talked cornerback was Kaiir Elam, whom the Bills traded up to select with the 23rd overall pick in the draft; Benford was viewed, by many, as a candidate to transition to safety.

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But he simply put his ability and work ethic on display throughout spring and summer workouts, quietly working his way up the depth chart before ultimately earning a starting role in Buffalo’s Week 1 matchup with the Los Angeles Rams in the 2022 season. A hand injury forced him to miss significant stretches of his rookie year; he ultimately appeared in nine games, recording 24 tackles, five pass deflections, and one interception.

Benford became a more featured player in the team’s defense in his sophomore year, starting 14 games while tallying 54 tackles, 10 pass deflections, and two picks. He was reliable in coverage and a sound tackler, cementing a starting role in a Buffalo defense that values consistency more than splash plays.

With a starting role now firmly in his hands, it’s perhaps time for Benford to take the next step in his development, to evolve from a reliable cornerback into a game-changer. CBS Sports writer Tyler Sullivan has identified the 23-year-old as a player with an opportunity to “burst onto the scene” and become a “star” in the 2024 season, using Benford’s past success as the basis for his claim.

“Benford is entering his third season in the league, and there's reason to believe the former sixth-round pick out of Villanova bursts onto the scene in 2024,” Sullivan wrote. “With Tre'Davious White off the roster after signing with the Rams in free agency, the opportunity is there for him to secure one of the starting cornerback positions on a full-time basis. He started 14 games a season ago and held quarterbacks to an 88.8 passer rating when targeted in coverage.”

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We agree with Sullivan’s belief that Benford could become a player of national prominence in the 2024 season, but his logic is a bit misplaced—he got the right answer, but his math was off. Benford has already secured one of the team’s starting cornerback positions, doing so long before stalwart defensive back Tre’Davious White was released—in fact, the two started four games with each other last season before White tore his Achilles tendon in a Week 4 win over the Miami Dolphins.

White was ultimately replaced by Rasul Douglas, whom the team acquired at the 2023 trade deadline. Douglas and Benford started opposite each other in the final six games of Buffalo’s 2023 season and enter its 2024 campaign as its undeniable starters.

The makings of a potential breakout season are there for Benford; if he’s able to come down with a few more interceptions—something he was doing at an increased rate at the end of last season—national recognition and accolades could come in droves.