How Christian Benford Became Buffalo’s Most Dangerous Weapon
How Sean McDermott and Bobby Babich are masking run-game struggles by unleashing the NFL's most underrated corner.
If you don’t know who Christian Benford is, let me introduce you to one of the most underrated CBs in the NFL. The Buffalo Bills selected the 6-1 CB from Villanova in the 6th Round of the 2022 NFL Draft. That was the same year they selected Kaiir Elam of Florida in the 1st Round. Needless to say, Benford became the star.
That 2022 class of CBs may go down as one of the best all-time. Derek Stingley (HOU), Sauce Gardner (IND), hybrid Trent McDuffie (KC), and DaRon Bland (DAL) are already considered All-Pros. 5th Rounder, Riq Woolen (SEA) has a Pro Bowl nod.
But in the 6th Round, the Bills landed a future star in Benford, who fits perfectly into the Buffalo defensive philosophy that is currently in transition.
Overall, the Bills are a nickel-based defense (~63%) that has had to lean more into Base packages (~19%) due to consistent injuries to Nickel Taron Johnson and the general struggle to stop the run all year (31st in EPA/run). Schematically, the Bills are evolving.
The Bills have shifted, starting last year, to utilizing more Cover 3 and closed-post structures in their system. That, in part, is due to the rise of second-year player Cole Bishop, a hybrid Safety from Utah who excels near the box.
Along with Kansas City, Buffalo has led the NFL the past five years in two-high coverages. Last year was a notable shift towards closed-post shells.
In 2025, the defense is playing even more man coverage, entering Week 15 ranked 15th in Man% (~31%). Benford, Bishop, Johnson, and rookie Maxwell Hairston allow the defense to lean more into these coverages. Still, this is a split-field defense that only trails Minnesota in middle-of-the-field open (MOFO) usage (53%).
Entering Week 15, the Bills ranked 15th in the NFL in Blitz Rate, just below the ~30% league average. As the dashboard above illustrates, the split-field dominance doesn’t change when blitzing. Buffalo is 6th in split-field pressure usage and a top-ten secondary when running them, allowing only 4.5 yards per attempt.
The increase in man coverage and the disguise provided by their two-high shell has created the perfect environment to reintroduce a McDermott staple: the corner blitz.
Through Week 10, the Bills were using their corners on 3.9% of their blitzes. Since Week 11, that number has risen to 7.8%, the league high (Sumer). Secondary pressures as a whole are up significantly. And, against the Bengals, they were a critical piece in securing the victory.
Corner blitzes have been a staple of the Buffalo defense since Sean McDermott became the head coach. Playing split-field coverages at volume, especially Cover 2, allows your CBs to press, which opens the door for pressure. Benford presses on over 50% of his snaps.
The NFL is a condensed formation league, and because of that, schemes like the Bills can create big plays by blitzing their CBs. The scheme was on full display against the Steelers and the Bengals. And with Benford to the boundary, he became a dangerous weapon in the blitz game as well. Let’s dive into the tape!
Keep reading with a 7-day free trial
Subscribe to MatchQuarters by Cody Alexander to keep reading this post and get 7 days of free access to the full post archives.