Underrated Bills CB dubbed potential Pro Bowl candidate for 2024 NFL season

For a team often featured in prime-time contests and frequently discussed in national discourse, the Buffalo Bills employ a disproportionate number of criminally underrated players, with perhaps no individual fitting the description better than cornerback Christian Benford.

Perhaps this is due to the expectations – or rather lack thereof – with which the defender entered the NFL. A sixth-round pick from Division 1 FCS School Villanova in the 2022 NFL Draft, few expected anything big from the 6-foot-1 cornerback, with Buffalo brass even openly discussing the idea of ​​making him safe. This lack of anticipation may have been to the advantage of Benford, who quietly built a strong summer and preseason en route to usurping Kaiir Elam, who was selected 162 picks ahead of him in the draft of 2022, to start for the team at cornerback in Week 1 of the 2022 season.

Benford has maintained a starting spot for most of his professional career, starting 19 games over the past two seasons. He had 78 total tackles, 15 pass deflections and three interceptions while being the epitome of Sean McDermott’s defensive back. There’s nothing particularly flashy about him, but he simply does what he’s asked and rarely makes mistakes.

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The 23-year-old’s play has led many in Western New York to view the defender as a potential cornerstone, especially given Buffalo’s offseason decision to move on from Tre’Davious White, the age of his compatriot Rasul Douglas (soon to be 30). ), and the question marks that still surround Elam. Benford is the closest thing to a long-term asset at the team’s cornerback position, and as a result, fans view him as a potentially crucial player both in the interim and in the future.

And the national media, although they have long overlooked Benford’s impact and potential, are starting to take notice. Sports Illustrated writer Connor Orr identified the former third-day pick as a potential candidate for the 2024 NFL season, featuring Benford in a recent article titled “10 Possible New NFL Pro Players in 2024.”

“Benford flourished last season, with almost triple the number of starts he had during his rookie year, which led to double-digit pass breakups and two forced fumbles,” he said. writes Orr. “As Buffalo faces the challenge of turning around a somewhat static secondary during Sean McDermott’s tenure, Benford’s development becomes critical to maintaining a safety net against the pass.

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“The AFC East, assuming the health of Aaron Rodgers, is going to post vintage Big 12 numbers this year, between Rodgers and Tua Tagovailoa. Benford has a chance to play against a handful of elite receivers and solidify his bona fides.

Benford, as Orr writes, will be tasked with holding his own against strong receiving corps throughout the upcoming campaign, as he will (with the help of Buffalo’s secondary) have to contend with the likes of Tyreek Hill, Jaylen Waddle and Garrett. Wilson. That said, he has been an ascending player throughout his two professional seasons and was arguably playing his best football late in the 2023 campaign (with two interceptions in the final four weeks of the regular season); if the upward trajectory continues, a Pro Bowl nod is well within the realm of possibility.

Benford has a pretty secure grip on a starting job, but it will be interesting to see how he handles the pressure from a seemingly thriving Elam; The defensive back was one of the standout players during the team’s recent mandatory minicamp and appears well-positioned to mount a run for a starting role in next month’s training camp.