Maxwell Hairston has won the job: Bills sweep preseason and hand rookie the CB2 reins

The Buffalo Bills wrapped up a perfect preseason Thursday night with a win over the Pittsburgh Steelers, but the cleanest takeaway from the evening had nothing to do with the scoreboard. When asked after the game whether there was still a competition at the cornerback spot opposite the top of the depth chart, offensive coordinator Joe Brady ended the debate in one sentence about rookie first-rounder Maxwell Hairston: "He's our starting corner."

Hairston got the start Thursday at cornerback — Sal Capaccio's pregame notes: "Max Hairston and IGB getting starts at CB for Bills" — and the 3-0 preseason closed with the kind of verdict franchises rarely hand rookies in August. For a defense that spent the offseason looking for an answer at the position, handing the job to the rookie outright, with a week still to go before cutdowns, is a statement of intent.

The rest of the night was housekeeping. Shane Buechele ran the two-minute offense in what the beat called a "perfect scenario" for his evaluation, Mecole Hardman started at receiver in his bid to stick on the 53, and Tommy Doman got a look on kickoffs. The Athletic's Joe Buscaglia had flagged 14 players fighting for 4-5 roster spots heading into the finale, and Thursday was their last, best audition.

The Steelers, for their part, treated the game accordingly — Mark Kaboly reported before kickoff that Pittsburgh's 53-man roster "is all but set, pending injury tonight," with the starters who sat effectively confirming their jobs. Buffalo's final prep now shifts to the regular-season opener in Houston on September 13.