Christian Benford, dealing from a position of strength in contract negotiations.

[Mr. WEO]

1 minute ago, bigK14094 said:

Slow in man coverage.....can't run w the  burners.  Its there on the replays if you want to look at it.

 

this is also true.  but he was the best of the bunch, unfortunately

[Pete]

18 hours ago, Beast said:

OK, so who is going to play our #1 CB position if he decides to hold out?  He went out in the 1st quarter of the Chiefs game and KC went on to score a season high in points.

 

Any coincidence?

Who were Philly corners?  IMO we are drafting multiple CBs and more DL.  My guess is Beane is building up the interior DL, and they will provide heavy interior pressure.  When DL destroys the interior OL quickly, we do not need Revis Island.  Decent CBs will be plenty then  

[Big Blitz]

35 minutes ago, oldmanfan said:

Assuming his concussion is not an ongoing issue, they’ll work out an extension sometime after the draft, maybe during the season.  Beane wants to keep guys that produce.

 

This is my only concern.  Don’t like this at all re him coming off 2 concussions in 8 days.  
 

How does he feel about it?

 

Is he good?  Did he feel like he had to play?  
 

 

 

I don’t think Beane sounded optimistic AT ALL yesterday regarding an extension for him being anywhere close.  

[oldmanfan]

8 minutes ago, Big Blitz said:

 

This is my only concern.  Don’t like this at all re him coming off 2 concussions in 8 days.  
 

How does he feel about it?

 

Is he good?  Did he feel like he had to play?  
 

 

 

I don’t think Beane sounded optimistic AT ALL yesterday regarding an extension for him being anywhere close.  

It’s not their focus right now.  They were focused on free agency and restricted some contracts to get cap space.  Branford’s on a rookie deal so that wasn’t the case for him.  Then they focused on FA signings, and now the draft.  
 

While I think they’ll restructure, there’s really no urgency to do so.  He’s under contract regardless.

[HappyDays]

Here's what Beane said on Benford yesterday:

 

Reading between the lines sounds to me like the two sides aren't close. I think Beane's MO is to offer his drafted players a hometown discount contract a year early, knowing that a lot of times they'll take it to mitigate injury risk in that final year. I would bet he offered one to Benford but Benford would rather bet on himself and maximize his value for next offseason.

 

It sucks not having CB1 solved for the long term while simultaneously not having any young CB talent in the pipeline, so I hope they can figure it out at some point. This will be the second offseason in 4 years that we're entering totally desperate at CB and last time it turned out poorly. Hopefully Beane learned his lesson and won't force anything, but there are 3 CBs that I think would be great picks in the 1st round.

[Augie]

21 hours ago, jkeerie said:

Beane addressed this in his presser.  He said that right now, they are tight on the cap.  They love Benford and said they've got this year and will address a potential extension when the time is right, either before the season, during the season, etc.

 

Yes, let’s see him play some concussion-free football for a while before committing a fortune. I think that actually hurts Benford’s leverage to some degree. His leverage is no greater than any other player, and maybe a bit less due to health concerns. I have seen nothing that makes me fear any kind of a holdout, so I won’t worry about it yet. 

[HappyDays]

7 hours ago, Buffalo ill said:

I wonder how much money Hamlin cost him by concussing him in the playoffs.

 

Blame the Bills medical staff and the NFL at large for that 2nd concussion. It's been long enough that we can admit Benford should not have been out there. Zero doubt in my mind he only cleared concussion protocol so quickly because it was an important playoff game.

[HappyDays]

2 hours ago, bigK14094 said:

Slow in man coverage.....can't run w the  burners.  Its there on the replays if you want to look at it.

 

I mean he ran step for step with Hollywood Brown in the AFCCG and broke up the pass. Anyways the Bills scheme doesn't ask its CBs to keep up with elite speed WRs. Tre White had the same knock against him, and did it ever really matter?

[BADOLBILZ]

1 hour ago, HappyDays said:

Here's what Beane said on Benford yesterday:

 

Reading between the lines sounds to me like the two sides aren't close. I think Beane's MO is to offer his drafted players a hometown discount contract a year early, knowing that a lot of times they'll take it to mitigate injury risk in that final year. I would bet he offered one to Benford but Benford would rather bet on himself and maximize his value for next offseason.

 

It sucks not having CB1 solved for the long term while simultaneously not having any young CB talent in the pipeline, so I hope they can figure it out at some point. This will be the second offseason in 4 years that we're entering totally desperate at CB and last time it turned out poorly. Hopefully Beane learned his lesson and won't force anything, but there are 3 CBs that I think would be great picks in the 1st round.

 

 

The franchise tag for CB will be about $21M next offseason.

 

And the Bills will likely have the space to exercise that or the lesser($18M) transition tag. 

 

So even if Benford really has a great year they can retain him for at least one more season and likely for less $ than the AAV would be on a new deal.

[GunnerBill]

36 minutes ago, BADOLBILZ said:

 

 

The franchise tag for CB will be about $21M next offseason.

 

And the Bills will likely have the space to exercise that or the lesser($18M) transition tag. 

 

So even if Benford really has a great year they can retain him for at least one more season and likely for less $ than the AAV would be on a new deal.

 

Given the concussions at the end of the year I think waiting (unless he wants to come to the table for whatever they have already offered) and then tagging is likely the way to go. And I don't think it would be tagging with the intention of him playing on the tag, it would be tag to give yourself until camp to work out an extension.

[VW82]

4 hours ago, GunnerBill said:

 

What you are saying is simply not accurate though. Nakua had 1 catch for 19 yards on Benford. It was mainly Taron Johnson who got cooked by him. 4/5 for 53 yards. 

 

Being honest about what happened requires you to, you know.... be honest about what happened. The Bills were, it is true, predominantly a zone defense team although the final 3rd of the season and the playoffs they were much more a hybrid team. From the Kansas City regular season game (where they played more man than zone) on they were almost 70-30, having been about 85-15 prior. For context 30% over the full season would have been the 15th highest man coverage rate in the league. Now they didn't do that all season, of course, but they shifted that way down the stretch into more of a hybrid coverage team.

 

But when in man coverage Benford gave up the joint 10th least separation. Among qualifying corners. Tied with a guy who just reset the market. That isn't because of cushion or still playing off or whatever. In fact the cushion would surely make it harder to record those stats? I actually think he is already as good as prime Tre in man coverage. Tre was what Benford is IMO. A good man coverage guy. The difference between the two for my money is actually that Benford isn't yet an elite zone coverage guy at quite the level peak Tre White was. 

 

I don't understand your point here. I'm suggesting Benford isn't the man press corner you think he is. You're saying because he's good at zone match concepts or whatever that means he's also good at man press? What do you mean when you say the cushion makes it harder to record? 

 

Benford is much better with a cushion imo than he is on the LOS. I'm surprised that you would disagree with that. I'd also argue part of the reason we play off the line so much more regardless of man or zone is because none of our corners are great at man press. Taron was better in prior years. 

 

It's possible I misremebered the Puka game. I thought Puka got him on more than that - he got everyone that day.     

Edited March 15 by VW82

[Thrivefourfive]

Benford isn’t done because it’s the biggest contact this off season besides the Allen restructure. Benford is going to get PAID. 

[GunnerBill]

12 minutes ago, VW82 said:

 

I don't understand your point here. I'm suggesting Benford isn't the man press corner you think he is. You're saying because he's good at zone match concepts or whatever that means he's also good at man press?

 

No I am not saying that. I am saying he is good at man coverage because the analytic data supports that. I am not saying he is good at man coverage because he is good at zone. 

 

I don't have the data on how often in man coverage the Bills ask their corners to press at the LOS. I accept that they don't do that all the time even when they are in man. But it also isn't never. And if when they did Benford was regularly getting exposed it would surely impact his overall numbers in man coverage, correct? 

 

I think the reason a lot of fans think Benford is a zone only corner is because he was a 6th round pick and the Bills got serviceable zone only corner play from Dane Jackson (7th rounder) and Levi Wallace (UDFA) previously. People presume he is just a slightly bigger, slightly better version of that player. But that is not what the tape shows and it isn't what the data indicates either. I contend he is every bit as good in man coverage as peak Tre White. What he isn't is quite as elite in zone as peak Tre (who for a couple of years was probably the best pure zone concept guy in football).

[VW82]

51 minutes ago, GunnerBill said:

 

No I am not saying that. I am saying he is good at man coverage because the analytic data supports that. I am not saying he is good at man coverage because he is good at zone. 

 

I don't have the data on how often in man coverage the Bills ask their corners to press at the LOS. I accept that they don't do that all the time even when they are in man. But it also isn't never. And if when they did Benford was regularly getting exposed it would surely impact his overall numbers in man coverage, correct? 

 

I think the reason a lot of fans think Benford is a zone only corner is because he was a 6th round pick and the Bills got serviceable zone only corner play from Dane Jackson (7th rounder) and Levi Wallace (UDFA) previously. People presume he is just a slightly bigger, slightly better version of that player. But that is not what the tape shows and it isn't what the data indicates either. I contend he is every bit as good in man coverage as peak Tre White. What he isn't is quite as elite in zone as peak Tre (who for a couple of years was probably the best pure zone concept guy in football).

 

Not man vs.. zone. Man press vs. man match out of zone (i.e. zone matching) or man match lined up off LOS, however you want to say it. 

 

We don't play Benford (or any DB) much at the LOS other than Taron, so No, I don't think his relative underperformance in those scenarios impacts those numbers much. Again, I'd argue our lack of man press snaps on a % basis is as much of an indictment of our ability to man press as it is McD's scheme. It has nothing to do with draft position. 

 

We agree White was better. I thought he was also better as lockdown guy when ocassionally had to do that. 

 

[GunnerBill]

Just now, VW82 said:

 

Not man vs.. zone. Man press vs. man match out of zone (i.e. zone matching) or man match lined up off LOS, however you want to say it. 

 

We don't play Benford (or any DB) much at the LOS other than Taron, so No, I don't think his relative underperformance in those scenarios impacts those numbers much. Again, I'd argue our lack of man press snaps on a % basis is as much of an indictment of our ability to man press as it is McD's scheme. It has nothing to do with draft position. 

 

We agree White was better. I thought he was also better as lockdown guy when ocassionally had to do that. 

 

 

You will have to show me some evidence of his "relative under performance" in those situations. Because while I definitely am not saying I have the data broken down at the level to disprove it I have watched the all22 of every Bills game last season back and it was not something that jumped out to me at all. 

 

I think Benford can play press. Is he a guy you want to do that with down in down out? No, probably not. But nobody does that in the NFL in 2024. Pat Surtain is the best corner in football, by a distance IMO, and played 74 press man snaps the entire year (out of 978 total snaps played) Surtian is better in man coverage than Benford, don't get me wrong, he is better than everyone. My point is just if your argument is you are not paying him because he doesn't do much press man when even the best guy only does on about 7.5% of his snaps you better be able to demonstrate that when Benford does do it there is a significant drop off in his play. Otherwise the argument just doesn't make sense.

[PromoTheRobot]

On 3/14/2025 at 4:50 PM, jkeerie said:

Beane addressed this in his presser.  He said that right now, they are tight on the cap.  They love Benford and said they've got this year and will address a potential extension when the time is right, either before the season, during the season, etc.

They have a little more money available since their aren't paying 2 players for 6 games.

[VW82]

2 hours ago, GunnerBill said:

 

You will have to show me some evidence of his "relative under performance" in those situations. Because while I definitely am not saying I have the data broken down at the level to disprove it I have watched the all22 of every Bills game last season back and it was not something that jumped out to me at all. 

 

I think Benford can play press. Is he a guy you want to do that with down in down out? No, probably not. But nobody does that in the NFL in 2024. Pat Surtain is the best corner in football, by a distance IMO, and played 74 press man snaps the entire year (out of 978 total snaps played) Surtian is better in man coverage than Benford, don't get me wrong, he is better than everyone. My point is just if your argument is you are not paying him because he doesn't do much press man when even the best guy only does on about 7.5% of his snaps you better be able to demonstrate that when Benford does do it there is a significant drop off in his play. Otherwise the argument just doesn't make sense.

 

I don't have data to back it up. To my knowledge that doesn't exist publicly though I'd love to see it and be proven wrong if it does. 

 

As for the small % press = small downside argument...it's admittedly hard to watch our season end every year as Mahomes or Burrow alternate between slicing up our soft zone and quick hitting us to death while we give up everything underneath. Perhaps you'd argue Benford would've changed that had he not been hurt, but I don't think so - I think he needs the cushion to be successful and it exposes us in certain match ups. The notion that McD is just holding him back or whatever other reason Benford doesn't more when it's needed just doesn't make a lot of sense. I just don't think he runs as well with guys the little bit we've seen him on the line vs. when he has space to adjust. Agree to disagree.  

 

Edit: just to add to the McD part of it...we've seen him abandon the soft zone shell and try to man press like the Rams game. It made little difference because we couldn't cover. But that's when you do it..facing a high IQ QB who cuts you up at the line. You need to buy time vs. guys like Mahomes, Burrow, Stafford, etc. Everyone gives credit to Eagles Dline, and rightfully so, but their corners pressed too which gave their rushers time to finish the play.  

Edited March 16 by VW82

[Matt_In_NH]

He needs to play to get a year accrual and he risks injury.  The bills have decent leverage just like they did with shakir and Bernard. 

[GunnerBill]

6 hours ago, VW82 said:

 

I don't have data to back it up. To my knowledge that doesn't exist publicly though I'd love to see it and be proven wrong if it does. 

 

As for the small % press = small downside argument...it's admittedly hard to watch our season end every year as Mahomes or Burrow alternate between slicing up our soft zone and quick hitting us to death while we give up everything underneath. Perhaps you'd argue Benford would've changed that had he not been hurt, but I don't think so - I think he needs the cushion to be successful and it exposes us in certain match ups. The notion that McD is just holding him back or whatever other reason Benford doesn't more when it's needed just doesn't make a lot of sense. I just don't think he runs as well with guys the little bit we've seen him on the line vs. when he has space to adjust. Agree to disagree.  

 

Edit: just to add to the McD part of it...we've seen him abandon the soft zone shell and try to man press like the Rams game. It made little difference because we couldn't cover. But that's when you do it..facing a high IQ QB who cuts you up at the line. You need to buy time vs. guys like Mahomes, Burrow, Stafford, etc. Everyone gives credit to Eagles Dline, and rightfully so, but their corners pressed too which gave their rushers time to finish the play.  

 

1. We did not sit in soft zone against Mahomes in the AFCCG. We played more man coverage and we did press at the line in some places too. He killed us in man. When we went back to what we do well - zone coverage - in the 2nd half we had much more success. This obsession with zone coverage being the problem is a false narrative. Would Benford staying out there have helped? Sure. Would it have changed the outcome? I don't think so. KC killed the man coverage by manipulating the matchups to get Worthy and Hollywood in the middle of the field in 1v1s against Milano, Bernard and Hamlin in particular and they just couldn't hold up. 

 

2. The Eagles played man coverage on exactly ONE play in the Superbowl. The very first 3rd down they went dime package man across the board. Otherwise they played the whole game in zone. It was the Leslie Frazier 2021 regular season vs Mahomes gameplan. All zone coverage, box to the strong side, zero blitzes. Did they do some press bail - where corners show press at the line and then bail out into zone coverage? Yep. But it isn't like that was the majority of their defense. It wasn't, it was a wrinkle. Both the Mahomes picks came on standard zone coverages with the corners playing off. There was a sack Mahomes took 2nd half where the Eagles corners were giving 10 yard cushions - the sort that drives fans mad here because they presume only the Bills do it - and Mahomes, who had completely lost his head at this point, drops his eyes and runs into the arms of Jalen Carter. The Eagles definitely have more talent than us. In the secondary and up front. Fangio had a great plan, make no mistake. But it wasn't playing a ton of press man coverage. 

 

3. You have still provided no evidence for your assertion that Benford is just a zone corner beyond the Bills don't press at the line much, and you think he struggles running with guys. As @HappyDays has already said in the AFCCG for the brief period he was out there we saw him run step for step with Hollywood Brown and break up a pass. I don't think there is actual evidence that he struggles to run with fast guys. I think it is a perception fans have. And it is because they think "6th round pick, limited athlete." But Benford has a higher RAS score than Tre White. He didn't go in round 6 because he is a limited athlete. He went in round 6 because he played at Villanova.

 

 

I am fine anyone being wary about a big extension to Benford because of the concussions. I am fine anyone being wary about it because they have just committed two big contracts, in addition to Ed's, to a defense that is coming off a bad season. But I utterly dispute any assertion that Benford hasn't proved he is worth the payday. He was the Bills second best player in 2024 after Josh Allen. He was a top 10 corner in football. And he can play man much better than fans give him credit for. If there is a player on the Bills beyond Josh who by the end of next season we might saying okay this guy is elite the two contenders for me are Spencer Brown and Christian Benford. 

[below]

Benford and Cook are goners. Unless something gets done VERY soon which would shock me. Every year I find it surprising how much $ the Bills are able to spend. 

 

History's shown we either sign our guys early or don't sign them at all. 

 

Examples Allen. Milano, Knox, Shakir, Oliver, Bernard, Rousseau, T.Johnson, Brown, Dawkins spring to mind. 

 

As do Edmunds, Gabe Davis, Douglas, Singletary...

 

Expect lots of corners in the next couple drafts!