Bills’ Maxwell Hairston suffers non-contact knee injury: Team reacts to rookie’s ‘freak trip up’ at practice

Buffalo Bills rookie Maxwell Hairston walked gingerly off the field during practice Tuesday following a non-contact injury at St. John Fisher University. Teammate Dane Jackson said the 2025 first-round pick went down after a “freak trip up” during drills and was in a lot of pain.

According to NYUP, Bills head athletic trainer Nate Breske immediately came to Hairston’s aid. There’s no word yet from Buffalo in the severity of Hairston’s situation.

“We said a prayer for him and we (tried to) uplift him,” Jackson said after practice. “Hope to see him when we get in here and find out everything that’s going on with him and (hope for) a speedy recovery for him too. He’s been doing a great job at camp as well.”

Footage from practice shows Hairston pointing to the exterior of his right knee before he walked toward the team’s medical tent and helped off the field. Hairston is undergoing tests on his knee to determine next steps, according to the Associated Press.

“I was salty, I was upset,” Buffalo cornerback Christian Benford said. “That’s somebody who’s a pure-hearted kid. That’s someone you work with off the field so much and you put so much time in with them and then they fall like that. Something happening to him … you never want that to happen. You don’t even pray that on your worst enemies. I’m sick about that.”

A long-term injury situation would be devastating for the Bills given the lack of depth at the back end of the defense. He was battling veteran Tre’Davious White for one of the starting cornerback spots alongside Benford.

Hairston’s official 4.28-second 40-yard dash time at the NFL Combine in February solidified a first-round grade as one of this cycle’s fastest players.

Hairston was a three-years-and-out player at Kentucky, becoming the third player at the program to leave early for the draft in as many years after joining Carrington Valentine and Dru Phillips. Hairston recorded six interceptions over his last two seasons in the SEC, including three he returned for touchdowns.

The Bills do not practice Wednesday but resume camp later this week. Hairston is the latest player who could miss time due to injury, joining Curtis Samuel, Tyrell Shavers, Terrel Bernard and others.