Buffalo, NY (WGR550) - As the Buffalo Bills look towards free agency and the NFL Draft, my 2023 "State of the Bills" position-by-position series continues.
Here’s a look at the cornerbacks:
Under contract:
- Tre’Davious White
- Taron Johnson
- Kaiir Elam
- Christian Benford
- Siran Neal
- Ja’Marcus Ingram
- Kyler McMichael
Pending Free Agents:
- Dane Jackson (RFA)
- Cam Lewis (RFA)
State of the position:
This is an interesting position as the roster currently stands, because the Bills have seven players under contract and two pending restricted free agents.
In order for the team to retain the rights to either Jackson or Lewis, they will have to offer them, at minimum, a one-year, $2.627 million contract.
Lewis came to the team as an undrafted free agent from the University at Buffalo in 2019.
As for Jackson, he was a seventh-round selection of the Bills in 2020 out of the University of Pittsburgh, the team’s last draft choice that year.
The 26-year-old was the target of a lot of criticism from fans last year. He was often serving as the team’s No. 1 corner, going against some of the top receivers in the league. That's a tall task, and the Bills did get beaten by opponents’ top wide receivers a little too often.
However, Jackson is much better playing second-fiddle opposite a true No. 1 guy. That couldn't happen last year since the team did not have White available until late November.
This is the same situation the Bills were in a year ago with Levi Wallace, who they decided not to tender an offer and eventually left for the Pittsburgh Steelers.
There's a little doubt the Bills would like to have Jackson back, but it might be too tough at that price. That decision might hinge on what they feel about White’s health going into 2023, and the roles they see Jackson and Benford playing (more on that later). They can always try to work out a lesser deal with Jackson to bring him back.
That's something they more likely try to do with Lewis, who's played mostly spot duty all over the secondary.
For most of his three years on the active roster, Lewis has been the primary backup to slot cornerback Taron Johnson, but he has been used sparingly on the outside, and even started a game at safety last year.
Unfortunately, it was the game against the Minnesota Vikings, and Lewis was the player who gave up the incredible catch to Justin Jefferson on 4th-and-18 to extend the drive and — after several other wild plays — ultimately lead to the Vikings winning the game.
After a lot of wondering whether or not he was ready both physically and mentally to return to the field in 2022, White came back exactly 364 days after tearing his ACL on Thanksgiving night in 2021 against the New Orleans Saints.
White played sparingly in his first game back, then saw more action his second game before becoming a full-time player again in December and the playoffs. He also appeared to get stronger and better in those contests, coming up with three pass breakups against the Miami Dolphins in Week 15. He then registered his only interception against the New England Patriots in Week 17.
This summer, White will be a year-and-a-half removed from his injury. He will come back to training camp as the team’s No. 1 cornerback, obviously hoping to return to his All-Pro form. He's under contract for three more seasons with a cap hit of just over $16 million each year.
Johnson is still one of the best slot cornerbacks in the NFL.
After battling injuries early in his career, he's been reliable and solid the last several years. Not many at his position can play both the run and pass, including zone and man-to-man, as well as he can. Johnson can match up with both receivers and tight ends.
His contract is a bit hefty for his position, accounting for over $9 million against the salary cap in 2023 and $10 million in 2024. However, it's still very livable for the Bills, considering his value to a defense that plays almost exclusively nickel outside of special situations.
The Bills list Neal as a cornerback, because he mainly has played as a “big nickel” when the team goes against bigger teams. But he rarely played on defense last season, and usually only in mop-up or injury situations.
Neal is a huge piece of the Bills' special teams units, signing one of the larger contracts in the league for a player in that role. He has two years remaining on that deal, and will, once again, be a top special teams player and backup in the secondary.
Elam was the team’s first-round draft pick this past year, while Benford was a sixth-round pick. However, Benford beat Elam out for a starting position coming out of training camp, which said a lot about both players.
Bills fans wondered all year why Elam wasn't playing more. Was he not understanding the defense? Not doing what he was supposed to throughout the week at practice?
He was inserted into the starting lineup in Week 3, stayed there after Benford suffered an injury, then not only came out, but was even inactive for three games later in the season.
Despite that, Elam came back to have a very strong finish, including hauling in an interception that completely swung the team’s playoff win over the Dolphins in the AFC Wild Card Round when they were down four points.
It’s going to be imperative Elam continues on that trajectory to start 2023. The Bills need him to step up and play like the first-round pick they made him. He will have every shot to do that come training camp.
Unfortunately, injuries robbed Benford of much of his rookie season. He only played nine games, inactive or scratched for the other nine, including both playoff games.
The ideal scenario for the Bills is that White returns to form and Elam performs like a first-round pick.
But where does that leave Benford?
The 22-year-old could very possibly move to safety, something the Bills have openly not ruled out. This especially considering Jordan Poyer could leave via free agency, and Damar Hamlin’s playing situation still remaining unclear.
Benford could also fight for, and even win a starting corner job again, or be a main backup to White and/or Elam. But as a rookie entering only his second season, Benford's future looks bright, and he will give the Bills several options.
Ingram and McMichael both signed Reserve/Future deals to return to training camp in 2023 after spending last season on the practice squad. Ingram actually played significant snaps in two games (against the Dolphins in Week 3 and against the Steelers in Week 5).
McMichael hasn’t seen any regular season NFL action yet.
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