Summarize and humanize this content to 2000 words in 6 paragraphs in EnglishThe Bills’ in-house spending spree continued on Saturday.After striking long-term extensions with four other players this offseason, well in advance of their contract expirations, Buffalo added their top cornerback to the list.The team agreed to terms with Christian Benford, the unquestioned No. 1 cornerback, on a four-year extension worth $76 million, according to team and league sources. The deal, when signed, will run through the 2029 season and at $19 million per year. That average value ties Benford for the 13th-highest contract for a cornerback in the NFL.Benford, 24, was a steal in the sixth round of the 2022 NFL Draft out of Villanova. He immediately pushed for playing time in his rookie season before becoming a full-time starter in 2023. Benford took a significant step forward in 2024 as the team’s top boundary cornerback, as he proved himself to be a core building block moving forward.He joined quarterback Josh Allen, wide receiver Khalil Shakir, linebacker Terrel Bernard and defensive end Greg Rousseau as part of the group the team has re-signed to long-term extensions this offseason. Shakir, Bernard and Rousseau were all slated to be free agents after the 2026 season. Benford has five interceptions and four forced fumbles over his three-year career.Benford’s unexpected high-ceiling developmentWhen the team took Benford in the sixth round out of Villanova, they kept the door open to him playing either cornerback or safety in their system. They knew he was a good athlete and a very instinctive defender who could likely contribute heavily on special teams if he didn’t find a home on defense. The Bills initially said they wanted to see if Benford could play boundary cornerback, his college position, before changing his career’s trajectory by switching positions.In his first training camp, it was clear the Bills had a player much farther along than they likely expected out of late Day 3 selection. In that same draft, the team took cornerback Kaiir Elam in the first round with the idea that Elam would become both the short and long-term starter. As Tre’Davious White was on the mend from a late-November torn ACL in 2021, Elam had every chance to be the opening day starter alongside Dane Jackson in 2022. Just days into camp, Benford began to push Elam for an increasing amount of first-team reps and challenged for the opening day starting role, and the two rookies split playing time at the beginning of the year until White made his return from injury in Week 12.The next year, Benford took a full step ahead of Elam and only cemented his position throughout his play during the 2023 campaign. Outside of some spot starts due to injury, Elam mostly dwelt on the bench as Benford continued to reach new heights as their top boundary cornerback. Only turning 25 in September, he was one of the top zone cornerbacks in the NFL in 2024 with the ability to play man coverage, and Benford may only be scratching the surface of his potential.The formative 2022 Bills draft classAlthough their top selection in 2022 was a big miss, the rest of that Bills draft class has gone on to be one of the most influential classes of general manager Brandon Beane’s tenure. As a sixth-round selection, Benford has helped make up for missing on Elam at the same position that year, while the rest of the class contained key members of their championship pushes of the past two seasons and future ones as well.In the same draft, the Bills selected running back James Cook in the second round, middle linebacker and defensive captain Terrel Bernard in the third round, along with slot receiver Khalil Shakir in the fifth round. Benford, Bernard and Shakir are all locked in with the franchise through the 2029 season now, as Cook is the last of the significant players on their rookie deal that they have yet to extend. The Bills believe they have the supporting core of players to help their winning window remain wide open for as long as Allen is in his prime, and the 2022 class has been, by far, the most influential of their recent drafts.Does this vanquish the Bills’ CB draft need early?Part of the logic behind the Bills potentially targeting a boundary cornerback early in the 2025 NFL Draft was Benford remaining unsigned for the long term. Now with their top cornerback under contract through 2029, it does slightly weaken the case to take a cornerback in the first round, though it should remain a heavy consideration for the team. With Benford signed to a sizable contract, the need to find a low-cost, long-term option to pair with him is heightened even more.Benford’s re-signing does not cancel out the lacking depth in the cornerback room, and most critically, their starting job to pair with Benford remains unsolved. The team signed Dane Jackson to a cheap one-year deal as someone who knew the system, though the near veteran minimum contract is hardly a commitment for him to start in 2025. Taking a cornerback with a top-64 selection would help solve many of their issues at cornerback. With picks in the late first round and two selections in the second round, the Bills should be able to find a cornerback to push for a starting job at some point in 2025 as a rookie.(Photo: Timothy T Ludwig / Getty Images)
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