Coming out of their bye week, the Buffalo Bills shared positive news that cornerback Maxwell Hairston, the team’s rookie first-round selection in 2025, was having his 21-day return-to-practice window opened. Now recovered from an LCL injury suffered in the early goings of training camp, Hairston appears set to make his regular-season debut with the Bills in the coming weeks.
To that end, Hairston was an active participant in practice on Wednesday, October 22, ahead of the team’s Week 8 game against
the Carolina Panthers. It’s Hairston’s first active practice with the team this season.
Under the guidelines of the 21-day return-to-practice window, Hairston can practice and prepare to play without counting towards the team’s 53-man active roster. That gives Buffalo the flexibility needed to get Hairston up to speed and ready if called upon, but without sacrificing an active roster spot (and potentially player) until he’s needed. It’s a win-win here for Hairston and One Bills Drive, with a player trying to return to form following a significant injury before he ever took a snap in an NFL regular-season game.
Within the confines of Hairston’s return-to-practice window, the Bills have until Sunday, November 10, (Week 10 at Miami Dolphins) to make a roster decision on him in 2025. That’s the end of his 21-day window, where he needs to either be transitioned to the team’s 53-man roster, or head back to Injured Reserve (IR) — which at that point would be season-ending, meaning a redshirt rookie campaign for Hairston.
There’s every reason to believe that Hairston will play for the Bills in 2025, and perhaps very soon. It’s likely Buffalo works him in slowly, trading off drives or even snaps with cornerback Tre’Davious White. That’s what they did with rookie cornerback Dorian Strong earlier in the season, before Strong himself was sent to IR.
As with most things shared by head coach Sean McDermott, it’s wise to temper expectations and avoid reading too much into things. Instead, it’s best to trust the process and let it all play out. That said, it’s going to be difficult for Bills Mafia not to be excited to finally see Mad Max on the football field.
