Long-term decisions loom for Buffalo Bills at cornerback

The 2024 NFL season will provide clarity on the future of the cornerback position for the Buffalo Bills.

The Bills have a star cornerback in Taron Johnson, who was a second-team All-Pro last season. He signed a three-year extension in March that keeps him with the team through the 2027 season.

Who else is going to stick around long term? It’s uncertain.

Rasul Douglas is the Bills’ No. 1 outside cornerback. He turns 29 on Aug. 29 and is in the final year of his contract.

Christian Benford started 15 games last season. He has two years left on his rookie contract. If he keeps his starting job and plays like he did last season, the Bills will likely want to extend his contract through 2025.

Christian Benford’s blinding approach gives Bills stability at cornerback

Kaiir Elam has two years left on his rookie contract. The Bills will have to decide after this season whether he deserves a hefty fifth-year offer that would tie him to the club through 2026.

Big decisions loom, and the sorting at cornerback begins when training camp practices begin Wednesday in Rochester.

Johnson, now the longest-tenured defender on the roster, said it’s up to him to take on more of a leadership role among the cornerbacks and safeties, especially with the departures of safeties Micah Hyde and Jordan Poyer.

“I just want to speak up more,” Johnson said. “A lot of times I would let Micah or Po do the talking, you know, but I do. And I want to make sure I do. Because we have a lot of young players, and they haven’t been in the league very long. So I think it’s my job to do that for them.”

Repatriated: Johnson, Douglas, Benford, Elam, Cam Lewis, Ja’Marcus Ingram, Kyron Brown.

New arrivals : Daequan Hardy, Keni-H Lovely, Te’Cory Couch.

Departures: Tre’Davious White (Rams), Dane Jackson (Panthers).

Key figures: Six and seven. Depth is important at cornerback because players are prone to injuries, even if it’s just minor muscle issues. Each of the last two years, six players have started at cornerback and seven have played at least 40 snaps at the position.

The competition between Benford and Elam for the starting job against Douglas is arguably the No. 1 matchup of camp. If both players perform well in the preseason, it could end up being a job share to some extent.

“Kaiir has a clean slate,” defensive coordinator Bobby Babich said. “He works extremely hard. I think his mindset is where it needs to be.”

The competition between Benford and Elam will likely continue through the rest of the regular season. There’s little chance that either will be benched.

But there’s also plenty of competition behind them. Cam Lewis is a hybrid cornerback and safety. He’s Johnson’s best replacement in the slot. Among those likely to work in the slot are Te’Cory Couch, Daequan Hardy and Ja’Marcus Ingram. Couch, an undrafted player, played well in the slot last season in Miami for new Bills cornerbacks coach Jahmile Addae. Hardy is a sixth-round draft pick who has the ability to play inside or outside. Ingram spent the last two years on the practice squad.

Lewis and Hardy are expected to be guaranteed a spot on the roster, giving the Bills six cornerbacks. There’s likely room for four safeties (not including Lewis), giving the Bills 10 defensive backs on the 53-man roster.