Bills fans have every reason to be irritated by the latest cornerback rankings, because Christian Benford was left out in a way that feels hard to defend.
Benford has spent four seasons turning himself into one of Buffalo’s most reliable defensive backs, and the numbers back that up. According to Pro Football Reference, he has allowed just 10.8 yards per catch over that span, and in 2025 he posted a career-best mark by allowing only 54.4% of passes his way to be completed. For a sixth-round pick in the 2022 NFL Draft, that’s a serious rise from afterthought to cornerstone.
That’s part of why the latest ESPN list stings. Jeremy Fowler compiled cornerback rankings for the 2026 season using input from NFL executives, coaches and scouts, and Benford didn’t crack the top 10.
He also wasn’t listed as an honorable mention. That omission is jarring.
Benford’s profile has only grown inside Buffalo. In 2024, he received votes for Defensive Player of the Year, then followed that up with an even stronger season. He’s not being treated like one of the league’s premier corners, though, and that’s the disconnect.
The bigger issue is that Benford still doesn’t seem to get the credit his play deserves. He isn’t being framed as the very best corner in football, and the source doesn’t make that case.
But it does make one thing clear: he belongs in the conversation with the league’s top players at the position. Instead, because he’s tied to a Bills defense that hasn’t been great overall, he keeps getting pushed to the side.
That’s the part that doesn’t sit right.
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