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Bills CB Maxwell Hairston Avoids ACL Tear

July 30th, 2025 at 12:55pm CST by Sam Robinson

Maxwell Hairston went down with a noncontact knee injury during Tuesday’s Bills practice. Fears of an ACL tear turned out to be overblown.

The first-round cornerback’s ACL is intact, according to Fox Sports’ Jordan Schultz, and NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport and Mike Garafolo report the Kentucky product suffered an LCL sprain. Hairston is expected to be out for at least a few weeks, but the Bills avoided the worst-case scenario here.

Buffalo views Hairston as likely to be ready for Week 1, Schultz adds. This is a break for the Bills, who based their offseason cornerback plan on Hairston. The team did not re-sign Rasul Douglas and authorized a Christian Benford extension — one that soon became paired with Hairston’s rookie contract. The team also traded Kaiir Elam, who had not panned out as a 2022 first-round choice.

Douglas remains a free agent, not signing with the Dolphins despite multiple instances of reported negotiations emerging. Miami has since signed Jack Jones and Mike Hilton. Douglas remaining available represents an interesting option for the Bills, but if Hairston is to be back by Week 1 or shortly before that point, they may opt to stick with their current depth chart. The team also brought back Tre’Davious White and Dane Jackson this offseason.

The knee injury comes after the Bills received word of a civil suit alleging Hairston sexually assaulted a woman as a freshman at Kentucky. Hairston, 22 next week, denied the allegation.

“This is something I’ve been dealing with since I was 17,” Hairston said, via Pro Football Talk’s Michael David Smith. “It’s been four years now, and I went through this whole process with the police, they went through a thorough investigation, and I was exonerated from that. The University of Kentucky did a thorough investigation, I was exonerated from that as well. And I volunteered to do multiple polygraphs because I was determined to get my truth out there, because I had nothing to hide. I was an open book.

“The Bills have been by my side from the start because they did their own thorough investigation. The people that know the truth know, and those are the people I’m sticking by and they’re sticking by me.”

Brandon Beane previously suggested the Bills conducted thorough research on this matter, indicating he believed the cornerback was falsely accused of this crime. In the suit, the unnamed woman accuses Hairston of sexually assaulting her in her dorm room on March 25, 2021. The suit alleges Hairston removed the woman’s pajamas, after she had indicated she was tired and uninterested in sexual intercourse, and assaulted her. The woman filed a police report at the time, according to Bardahl and Graham, and went through a Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner exam at a hospital.

Minor NFL Transactions: 7/28/25

July 28th, 2025 at 10:35pm CST by Nikhil Mehta

Arizona Cardinals

  • Signed: CB Keni-H Lovely

Baltimore Ravens

  • Activated from non-football injury list: LB Jake Hummel

Buffalo Bills

Carolina Panthers

Cleveland Browns

Detroit Lions

Green Bay Packers

Indianapolis Colts

Miami Dolphins

Minnesota Vikings

New England Patriots

  • Activated from active/NFI list: S Josh Minkins

New Orleans Saints

New York Jets

San Francisco 49ers

Seattle Seahawks

Tennessee Titans

Jenkins, who switched to center this offseason, was dealing with a back injury in training camp and participated in a limited capacity on Monday, per USA Today’s Ryan Wood.

Evans, a sixth-round pick by the Rams in 2023, played in 10 games as a rookie but didn’t make the 53-man roster in 2024. He joined the Jets’ practice squad in December and signed a reserve/futures contract in January, but opted to retire instead.

Minor NFL Transactions: 7/27/25

July 27th, 2025 at 7:11pm CST by Ely Allen

Here are Sunday’s minor transactions to close out the weekend:

Arizona Cardinals

Buffalo Bills

Detroit Lions

Green Bay Packers

  • Activated from active/NFI list: RB Amar Johnson

Kansas City Chiefs

New York Jets

Arizona is adding the brother of Stephon Gilmore after placing two cornerbacks on injured reserve earlier today. Thomas-Oliver was released by the Lions a day after suffering a hamstring injury in practice. He had returned to practice only three days ago from the active/non-football injury list.

Minor NFL Transactions: 7/26/25

July 26th, 2025 at 7:30pm CST by Adam La Rose

Saturday’s minor moves around the league:

Buffalo Bills

  • Signed: WR Kelly Akharaiyi
  • Placed on reserve/retired list: WR David White

Carolina Panthers

Green Bay Packers

  • Signed: CB Garnett Hollis Jr.

Houston Texans

 

James Cook Participating In Training Camp; RB Still Discussing Bills Extension

July 24th, 2025 at 9:27pm CST by Adam La Rose

2025 has witnessed a pair of training camp holdouts and the attendance/participation of other extension-seeking players will remain a storyline to follow in the coming days. With respect to James Cook, things have been business as usual regarding his on-field work.

The two-time Pro Bowler participated in full during the Bills’ first training camp practice. That is expected to continue, as noted by Joe Buscaglia of The Athletic (subscription required). Earlier this month, it was unclear if a hold-in would take place, but Cook said he did not consider such a move. The former second-rounder remains focused on securing a Bills extension, although it still remains to be seen if a big-ticket deal will come from Buffalo or another team next spring.

“I mean, we have talks. I’m never going to give up,” Cook said during his first public remarks since arriving at camp. “I deserve it — what I want, what I need. It’s going to eventually happen. I mean, however it happens, it’s going to get done. Wherever it happens.”

A mutual interest still exists for an agreement to be reached allowing Cook to play on his second contract with the Bills. Since an asking price of $15MM per season became public, however, little progress has been made with respect to negotiations. One year remains on the Georgia product’s rookie contract, and a season similar to 2024 would position him for a major raise. Cook tied for the league lead in rushing touchdowns last season (16) and averaged nearly 91 yards per game on the ground during the playoffs.

While the 25-year-old should be expected to remain productive for the foreseeable future, he logged a snap share of only 48% in 2024. Cook has yet to establish himself as a true three-down workhorse similar to many of the top earners at the running back spot (a position whose market currently has seven players averaging between $10MM and $20.6MM annually). The Bills still have Ray Davis and Ty Johnson in the fold, so a major increase in Cook’s 2025 workload compared to past years would come as a surprise. In any case, general manager Brandon Beane remains hopeful a deal can be struck at some point.

“As I’ve said all along, I love James Cook. You know how I am. I want to draft, develop, re-sign our own,” Beane said. “It is a business. We have to fit it in, not only cash, but cap… But we also have to look at ’26, ’27 and beyond… So all those things have to make sense for us to fit in him.” 

This offseason, Beane and the Bills have worked out long-term deals with Christian Benford, Gregory Rousseau, Terrel Bernard and Khalil Shakir. In each case, those moves ensured a departure next spring will not be possible. Cook still looms as a candidate for a multi-year pact of his own, and his situation will no doubt remain a storyline until and unless an agreement can be reached.

Minor NFL Transactions: 7/23/25

July 23rd, 2025 at 6:55pm CST by Ely Allen

With several training camps underway, here are today’s minor NFL transactions:

Baltimore Ravend

Buffalo Bills

Carolina Panthers

Chicago Bears

Cleveland Browns

  • Claimed off waivers (from Eagles): DE K.J. Henry

Green Bay Packers

Houston Texans

Los Angeles Chargers

Los Angeles Rams

New England Patriots

New York Giants

New York Jets

Philadelphia Eagles

Seattle Seahawks

Tennessee Titans

Washington Commanders

Houston fans may be discouraged to see a few big names on injured lists, but all is not lost. Aaron Wilson of KPRC 2 tells us that Mixon’s “medical outlook is positive” as the team plans to gradually increase his activity throughout camp. Likewise, Autry is expected to ease his way back into camp workouts, as well. Pierce, on the other hand, is expected to be ready to come off the list at the start of camp.

Per ESPN’s John Keim, Cosmi likely won’t see much time on the field in camp, but he appears to be hitting all the mile markers en route to being healthy for the start of the regular season. With McLaurin officially beginning his holdout yesterday, the team has made the corresponding roster move. McLaurin will rack up fines of $50K per each day missed, but if the team can come to terms on an extension, they can make sure those fines are nullified.

Minor NFL Transactions: 7/22/25

July 22nd, 2025 at 8:42pm CST by Ben Levine

With training camps kicking off around the NFL, teams continue to make adjustments to their rosters. Here are today’s minor moves:

Buffalo Bills

Carolina Panthers

Cincinnati Bengals

  • Waived: DT Dante Barnett
  • Placed on active/NFI: RB Zack Moss

Cleveland Browns

Green Bay Packers

  • Signed: K Mark McNamee

Houston Texans

  • Waived: CB Keydrain Calligan

Jacksonville Jaguars

Las Vegas Raiders

Los Angeles Chargers

  • Waived: OT Savion Washington

Miami Dolphins

New Orleans Saints

New York Giants

New York Jets

  • Waived: OT Obinna Eze

San Francisco 49ers

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Tennessee Titans

Washington Commanders

Bills Sign Second-Round DT T.J. Sanders, Complete Draft Class Deals

July 18th, 2025 at 8:59am CST by Adam La Rose

Like many other teams around the NFL, the Bills have their entire draft class on the books. Second-rounder T.J. Sanders has signed his rookie deal.

Sanders’ four-year pact is worth $10.65MM, and ESPN’s Adam Schefter notes $10.07MM of that figure is guaranteed. The No. 41 slot (where Sanders was selected in April) has seen guarantee rates of 77.9% and 79.5% over the past two years, per Jason Fitzgerald of Over the Cap. Sanders has not joined the three second-round picks who have received full guarantees on their rookie deals, but this is clearly a step forward in terms of locked in compensation deep into the pact.

Over the course of his career at South Carolina, Sanders emerged as a key figure on defense. Between his redshirt sophomore and junior campaigns, he totaled 8.5 sacks and 17 tackles for loss. That disruptiveness against the pass and run made Sanders one of several highly-regarded defensive tackle prospects in the 2025 class.

Buffalo expectedly targeted the secondary in the first round of the draft (taking cornerback Maxwell Hairston), but the team focused heavily on the defensive front through the middle portion of the event. The Sanders selection was followed by the addition of edge rusher Landon Jackson in the third round and fellow D-lineman Deone Walker in the fourth. The Bills’ defensive front could look noticeably different in the near future as a result, and Sanders in particular will be counted on to occupy at least a rotational role early in his career.

Ed Oliver and DaQuan Jones served as full-time starters along the defensive interior last season, and they remain in place entering 2025. The Bills also have 2024 third-rounder DeWayne Carter in the fold, and after logging a 42% snap share as a rookie he figures to play a notable role this season. Sanders should nevertheless be able to contribute on a part-time basis in 2025 as he develops into a potential starter down the line.

With every member now under contract, here is a final look at Buffalo’s 2025 draft class:

Minor NFL Transactions: 7/15/25

July 15th, 2025 at 8:17pm CST by Ben Levine

One minor move to pass along:

Buffalo Bills

The Bills made a bit of an unexpected move today when they placed rookie defensive end Landon Jackson on the physically unable to perform list. While the nature of the injury hasn’t been reported, a source told Ryan O’Halloran of The Buffalo News that the move was merely “precautionary” and Jackson “will be fine.”

The third-round pick finished his college career with a pair of standout seasons at Arkansas. The pass rusher compiled 13 sacks between the 2023 and 2024 seasons, earning him All-SEC honors in both campaigns. The Bills made him the 72nd pick in this year’s draft, and he’ll be joining a deep group of DEs that includes Joey Bosa, Greg Rousseau, Michael Hoecht, and A.J. Epenesa.

33 Unsigned 2025 Draft Picks Remain

July 9th, 2025 at 9:19pm CST by Ely Allen

The NFL has hit a logjam and is collectively lagging far behind where it normally is at this point in the offseason. Two years ago, the league hit its last 30 unsigned players before July. Last year, teams were signing rookies as quickly as they were drafting them, and only 10 players remained unsigned by June 17. A couple intriguing situations have caused pens to go quiet in 2025, and as a result, here are the 33 remaining unsigned rookies of the 2025 NFL Draft:

Round 1:

Round 2:

Round 4:

  • No. 107 (Jaguars): Jack Kiser (LB, Notre Dame)

In recent years, a trend has seen second-rounders lasting the longest, but what we’re seeing this year is unheard of. As rookies have been getting a bit of flexibility in negotiating structures of guarantees, getting deals done has become a waiting game of seeing what surrounding picks are getting for comparison. Last year, teams breezed through the issue, but 2025 has seen significantly increased troubles.

Texans wide receiver Jayden Higgins set the tone by signing a fully guaranteed rookie contract, the first ever for a second-round selection. The next day, the Browns were essentially forced to do the same for Carson Schwesinger, picked one slot before Higgins. Shough, the Saints rookie quarterback, is seeking the same deal, hoping that his elevated status as a passer will help convince New Orleans to continue making history. Shough’s efforts have caused every pick between him and Higgins to stand pat, waiting to see if they get to ask for full guarantees from their teams, as well. This would be a drastic development, as last year’s 40th overall pick, Cooper DeJean, received only two fully guaranteed years with only partial guarantees in Year 3.

The biggest story outside of the second round is that of the standoff between Stewart and the Bengals. Stewart has issues with what he perceives as a lack of protection in Cincinnati’s offer that causes a contract default in any year to void any guarantees in all the following years. It’s a new precedent the team is trying to set, and Stewart seems intent on preventing them from doing so.

It will be interesting to see which standoff gets settled first: Stewart’s or Shough’s. The latter standoff ending would likely set off a domino reaction of second-round deals that would help a large number of teams close out their rookie classes. To this point, only four NFL teams have done so.

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