{"id":329154,"date":"2025-08-30T13:51:19","date_gmt":"2025-08-30T13:51:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/329154\/"},"modified":"2025-08-30T13:51:19","modified_gmt":"2025-08-30T13:51:19","slug":"30-most-important-buffalo-bills-players-of-2025-no-3-christian-benford","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/329154\/","title":{"rendered":"30 most important Buffalo Bills players of 2025: No. 3 Christian Benford"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>As the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.usatoday.com\/sports\/nfl\/buffalo-bills\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:Buffalo Bills;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" class=\"link \">Buffalo Bills<\/a> prepare for the 2025 NFL season, we&#8217;ll take a look at the most important contributors on their roster. They have a ton of cornerstone players who will be returning for another shot at bringing a Lombardi Trophy to Buffalo, and they&#8217;ll have help from some new additions as well.<\/p>\n<p>Leading up to the season, we will be counting down the top 30 most important players on the roster. We&#8217;ll recap their 2024 season, look ahead to what they&#8217;ll offer in 2025, and tackle the most pressing questions surrounding them this coming year.<\/p>\n<p>Advertisement<\/p>\n<p>Next up on the countdown is Christian Benford.<\/p>\n<p>Background<img alt=\"Megan Briggs\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"960\" height=\"640\" decoding=\"async\" data-nimg=\"1\" class=\"standard-img\" style=\"color:transparent\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/8e05086e4d57bf83af0a2092a1fd0f41.jpeg\"\/><\/p>\n<p>Megan Briggs<\/p>\n<p>Position: Cornerback<\/p>\n<p>Age at start of season: 24<\/p>\n<p>Experience: Fourth year<\/p>\n<p>2025 cap hit: $2,648,569<\/p>\n<p>2024 recap<img alt=\"Mitchell Leff\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"960\" height=\"640\" decoding=\"async\" data-nimg=\"1\" class=\"standard-img\" style=\"color:transparent\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/ff2d4a61ed3e3c4fe3fc3e9ab5c57f64.jpeg\"\/><\/p>\n<p>Mitchell Leff<\/p>\n<p>Christian Benford has entered into talks of the top-ten cornerbacks in the game. He&#8217;s seemingly gotten better each year since breaking onto the scene in 2022 as a sixth-round rookie out of Villanova. In 2024, he recorded the fifth-best <a href=\"https:\/\/www.pff.com\/nfl\/players\/christian-benford\/79181\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:PFF grade;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" class=\"link \">PFF grade<\/a> among NFL CBs (82.6). It was his second consecutive season recording two interceptions, two forced fumbles, one fumble recovery, and 10 passes defensed. He finished tied for 22nd in the NFL in Defensive Player of the Year voting. This offseason, general manager Brandon Beane rewarded Benford&#8217;s consistent play with a four-year, $69 million extension, keeping him tied to Buffalo until the 2030 offseason.<\/p>\n<p>Advertisement<\/p>\n<p>2025 outlook<img alt=\"USAT\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"960\" height=\"640\" decoding=\"async\" data-nimg=\"1\" class=\"standard-img\" style=\"color:transparent\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/b2510fcafdddb7de52211fb6c6b4a47c.jpeg\"\/><\/p>\n<p>USAT<\/p>\n<p>Benford will once again be relied upon by head coach Sean McDermott and defensive coordinator Bobby Babich to lock down his side of the field at cornerback. No matter the coverage called, the coaches are confident he&#8217;ll do his part on the defense, where he&#8217;s becoming a leader to the incoming young defensive backs. Missing Benford in the AFC title game hurt the <a href=\"https:\/\/sportsdata.usatoday.com\/football\/nfl\/teams\/buffalo-bills\/324\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:Bills;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" class=\"link \">Bills<\/a> immensely, and a healthy Benford through the finish line this year would be huge for the Bills&#8217; chances of reaching of the Super Bowl.<\/p>\n<p>Biggest question: Who will be his running mate?<img alt=\"USAT\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"960\" height=\"640\" decoding=\"async\" data-nimg=\"1\" class=\"standard-img\" style=\"color:transparent\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/dbdfb32df583ce2c35d521850eda1acf.jpeg\"\/><\/p>\n<p>USAT<\/p>\n<p>While Benford has CB1 locked down, CB2 is still a question for 2025. Fan favorite Tre&#8217;Davious White has claimed that role at the beginning of camp and has held it down, especially after the knee injury to first-round rookie corner <a href=\"https:\/\/sports.yahoo.com\/article\/injury-bills-rookie-cornerback-maxwell-182338521.html\" data-ylk=\"slk:Max Hairston;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas;outcm:mb_qualified_link;_E:mb_qualified_link;ct:story;\" class=\"link  yahoo-link\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Max Hairston<\/a>. But, now <a href=\"https:\/\/sports.yahoo.com\/article\/bills-brandon-beane-provides-first-001755363.html\" data-ylk=\"slk:White is banged up;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas;outcm:mb_qualified_link;_E:mb_qualified_link;ct:story;\" class=\"link  yahoo-link\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">White is banged up<\/a>, with a leg injury of his own and Hairston should be returning in the near future. Who ends up being CB2 opposite of Benford will be a major storyline to watch develop.<\/p>\n<p>Advertisement<\/p>\n<p>30 Most Important Bills of 2025<\/p>\n<p>Check back as we continue to countdown on our list of the 30 most important Bills ahead of the 2025 season.<\/p>\n<p>No. 30 DT <a href=\"https:\/\/sports.yahoo.com\/article\/30-most-important-bills-players-184548635.html\" data-ylk=\"slk:T.J. Sanders;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas;outcm:mb_qualified_link;_E:mb_qualified_link;ct:story;\" class=\"link  yahoo-link\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">T.J. Sanders<\/a>, No. 29 LB <a href=\"https:\/\/sports.yahoo.com\/article\/30-most-important-bills-players-114513584.html\" data-ylk=\"slk:Dorian Williams;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas;outcm:mb_qualified_link;_E:mb_qualified_link;ct:story;\" class=\"link  yahoo-link\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Dorian Williams<\/a>, No. 28 DT <a href=\"https:\/\/sports.yahoo.com\/article\/30-most-important-bills-players-152754305.html\" data-ylk=\"slk:Larry Ogunjobi;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas;outcm:mb_qualified_link;_E:mb_qualified_link;ct:story;\" class=\"link  yahoo-link\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Larry Ogunjobi<\/a>, No. 27 <a href=\"https:\/\/sports.yahoo.com\/article\/30-most-important-bills-players-114526678.html\" data-ylk=\"slk:Alec Anderson;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas;outcm:mb_qualified_link;_E:mb_qualified_link;ct:story;\" class=\"link  yahoo-link\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Alec Anderson<\/a>, No. 26 DE <a href=\"https:\/\/sports.yahoo.com\/article\/30-most-important-bills-players-124555026.html\" data-ylk=\"slk:A.J. Epenesa;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas;outcm:mb_qualified_link;_E:mb_qualified_link;ct:story;\" class=\"link  yahoo-link\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">A.J. Epenesa<\/a>, No. 25 DT <a href=\"https:\/\/sports.yahoo.com\/article\/30-most-important-bills-players-173612722.html\" data-ylk=\"slk:DaQuan Jones;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas;outcm:mb_qualified_link;_E:mb_qualified_link;ct:story;\" class=\"link  yahoo-link\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">DaQuan Jones<\/a>, No. 24 TE <a href=\"https:\/\/sports.yahoo.com\/article\/30-most-important-bills-players-124538910.html\" data-ylk=\"slk:Dawson Knox;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas;outcm:mb_qualified_link;_E:mb_qualified_link;ct:story;\" class=\"link  yahoo-link\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Dawson Knox<\/a>, No. 23 WR <a href=\"https:\/\/sports.yahoo.com\/article\/30-most-important-bills-players-135534749.html\" data-ylk=\"slk:Elijah Moore;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas;outcm:mb_qualified_link;_E:mb_qualified_link;ct:story;\" class=\"link  yahoo-link\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Elijah Moore<\/a>, No. 22 WR <a href=\"https:\/\/sports.yahoo.com\/article\/30-most-important-bills-players-114514340.html\" data-ylk=\"slk:Joshua Palmer;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas;outcm:mb_qualified_link;_E:mb_qualified_link;ct:story;\" class=\"link  yahoo-link\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Joshua Palmer<\/a>, No. 21 S <a href=\"https:\/\/sports.yahoo.com\/article\/30-most-important-bills-players-134528162.html\" data-ylk=\"slk:Cole Bishop;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas;outcm:mb_qualified_link;_E:mb_qualified_link;ct:story;\" class=\"link  yahoo-link\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Cole Bishop<\/a>, No. 20 K <a href=\"https:\/\/sports.yahoo.com\/article\/30-most-important-bills-players-184741156.html\" data-ylk=\"slk:Tyler Bass;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas;outcm:mb_qualified_link;_E:mb_qualified_link;ct:story;\" class=\"link  yahoo-link\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Tyler Bass<\/a>, No. 19 WR <a href=\"https:\/\/sports.yahoo.com\/article\/30-most-important-bills-players-114536874.html\" data-ylk=\"slk:Keon Coleman;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas;outcm:mb_qualified_link;_E:mb_qualified_link;ct:story;\" class=\"link  yahoo-link\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Keon Coleman<\/a>, No. 18 G <a href=\"https:\/\/sports.yahoo.com\/article\/30-most-important-bills-players-114546927.html\" data-ylk=\"slk:David Edwards;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas;outcm:mb_qualified_link;_E:mb_qualified_link;ct:story;\" class=\"link  yahoo-link\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">David Edwards<\/a>, No. 17 DE <a href=\"https:\/\/sports.yahoo.com\/article\/30-most-important-bills-players-174245383.html\" data-ylk=\"slk:Joey Bosa;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas;outcm:mb_qualified_link;_E:mb_qualified_link;ct:story;\" class=\"link  yahoo-link\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Joey Bosa<\/a>, No. 16 G <a href=\"https:\/\/sports.yahoo.com\/article\/30-most-important-bills-players-104535325.html\" data-ylk=\"slk:O&#039;Cyrus Torrence;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas;outcm:mb_qualified_link;_E:mb_qualified_link;ct:story;\" class=\"link  yahoo-link\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">O&#8217;Cyrus Torrence<\/a>, No. 15 CB <a href=\"https:\/\/sports.yahoo.com\/article\/30-most-important-bills-players-135335180.html\" data-ylk=\"slk:Max Hairston;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas;outcm:mb_qualified_link;_E:mb_qualified_link;ct:story;\" class=\"link  yahoo-link\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Max Hairston<\/a>, No. 14 TE <a href=\"https:\/\/sports.yahoo.com\/article\/30-most-important-bills-players-192423591.html\" data-ylk=\"slk:Dalton Kincaid;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas;outcm:mb_qualified_link;_E:mb_qualified_link;ct:story;\" class=\"link  yahoo-link\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Dalton Kincaid<\/a>, No. 13 LB <a href=\"https:\/\/sports.yahoo.com\/article\/30-most-important-bills-players-124529786.html\" data-ylk=\"slk:Matt Milano;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas;outcm:mb_qualified_link;_E:mb_qualified_link;ct:story;\" class=\"link  yahoo-link\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Matt Milano<\/a>, No. 12 DT <a href=\"https:\/\/sports.yahoo.com\/article\/30-most-important-bills-players-143001282.html?guccounter=1&amp;guce_referrer=aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZ29vZ2xlLmNvbS8&amp;guce_referrer_sig=AQAAABXGxrwyHuLJEHFaAIpQvG4IInuDseidzZiDWeDjW6O6RK-Kn4KC-rkD-L8N90LLqBfea-Am8d3GD4frgTbkJHw7uGAFWF5LuIS5zaG1ifkElu1l8WKGknxbL00LfsQlRfTj2xprYiy00ekKznHKHohS_2wtnxUPPapUR2Ffnn_X\" data-ylk=\"slk:Ed Oliver;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas;outcm:mb_qualified_link;_E:mb_qualified_link;ct:story;\" class=\"link  yahoo-link\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Ed Oliver<\/a>, No. 11 S <a href=\"https:\/\/sports.yahoo.com\/article\/30-most-important-buffalo-bills-114525742.html\" data-ylk=\"slk:Taylor Tapp;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas;outcm:mb_qualified_link;_E:mb_qualified_link;ct:story;\" class=\"link  yahoo-link\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Taylor Tapp<\/a>, No. 10 RB <a href=\"https:\/\/sports.yahoo.com\/article\/30-most-important-buffalo-bills-154844821.html\" data-ylk=\"slk:James Cook;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas;outcm:mb_qualified_link;_E:mb_qualified_link;ct:story;\" class=\"link  yahoo-link\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">James Cook<\/a>, No. 9 C <a href=\"https:\/\/sports.yahoo.com\/article\/30-most-important-buffalo-bills-165231477.html\" data-ylk=\"slk:Connor McGovern;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas;outcm:mb_qualified_link;_E:mb_qualified_link;ct:story;\" class=\"link  yahoo-link\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Connor McGovern<\/a>, No. 8 WR <a href=\"https:\/\/sports.yahoo.com\/article\/30-most-important-buffalo-bills-124527950.html\" data-ylk=\"slk:Khalil Shakir;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas;outcm:mb_qualified_link;_E:mb_qualified_link;ct:story;\" class=\"link  yahoo-link\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Khalil Shakir<\/a>, No. 7 DE <a href=\"https:\/\/sports.yahoo.com\/article\/30-most-important-buffalo-bills-114526597.html\" data-ylk=\"slk:Greg Rousseau;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas;outcm:mb_qualified_link;_E:mb_qualified_link;ct:story;\" class=\"link  yahoo-link\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Greg Rousseau<\/a>, No. 6 CB <a href=\"https:\/\/sports.yahoo.com\/article\/30-most-important-buffalo-bills-134341997.html\" data-ylk=\"slk:Taron Johnson;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas;outcm:mb_qualified_link;_E:mb_qualified_link;ct:story;\" class=\"link  yahoo-link\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Taron Johnson<\/a>, No. 5 LB <a href=\"https:\/\/sports.yahoo.com\/article\/30-most-important-buffalo-bills-114529459.html\" data-ylk=\"slk:Terrel Bernard;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas;outcm:mb_qualified_link;_E:mb_qualified_link;ct:story;\" class=\"link  yahoo-link\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Terrel Bernard<\/a>, No. 4 OT Spencer Brown.<\/p>\n<p>This article originally appeared on Bills Wire: <a href=\"https:\/\/billswire.usatoday.com\/story\/sports\/nfl\/bills\/2025\/08\/30\/30-most-important-buffalo-bills-players-of-2025-no-3-christian-benford\/85806653007\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:30 most important Buffalo Bills players of 2025: No. 3 Christian Benford;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" class=\"link \">30 most important Buffalo Bills players of 2025: No. 3 Christian Benford<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"As the Buffalo Bills prepare for the 2025 NFL season, we&#8217;ll take a look at the most important&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":223726,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2048],"tags":[10902,18988,9204,215,214,53,2086,9227,1737,1522,1714,10176,28380,3029,18950,12776,6084,7,13685,3027,5736,599,8100,7468,8662,10981,12187,14326,60344,6,6831,1727,9229,15482],"class_list":{"0":"post-329154","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-buffalo-bills","8":"tag-a-j-epenesa","9":"tag-alec-anderson","10":"tag-benford","11":"tag-bills","12":"tag-buffalo","13":"tag-buffalo-bills","14":"tag-buffalobills","15":"tag-christian-benford","16":"tag-cole-bishop","17":"tag-connor-mcgovern","18":"tag-dalton-kincaid","19":"tag-daquan-jones","20":"tag-david-edwards","21":"tag-dawson-knox","22":"tag-dorian-williams","23":"tag-ed-oliver","24":"tag-elijah-moore","25":"tag-football","26":"tag-greg-rousseau","27":"tag-james-cook","28":"tag-joey-bosa","29":"tag-joshua-palmer","30":"tag-keon-coleman","31":"tag-khalil-shakir","32":"tag-larry-ogunjobi","33":"tag-lombardi-trophy","34":"tag-matt-milano","35":"tag-max-hairston","36":"tag-missing-benford","37":"tag-nfl","38":"tag-spencer","39":"tag-taron-johnson","40":"tag-terrel-bernard","41":"tag-tyler-bass"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"","error":"Validation 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