'I need this:' Christian Benford's star turn is here
He escaped West Baltimore, had a son, made an NFL roster, earned a massive contract extension. And yet? The Buffalo Bills' No. 1 corner is doing everything in his power to stay in the same mind frame.
PITTSFORD, NY — Practice wraps up and a handful of screaming kids at St. John Fisher University beckon him their direction, toward a faraway fence. Christian Benford is much obliged. The Buffalo Bills cornerback trots over to sign autographs for a few minutes.
That mob has a chance to grow tenfold this 2025 NFL season, too.
Fresh off a four-year, $69 million contract extension, Benford is primed to join the league’s elites. The 185th overall pick in the 2022 may be GM Brandon Beane’s best selection this side of Josh Allen. He rarely ever screws up. He creates turnovers. He has the potential to serve as a human eraser vs. the top receivers in the NFL. Not bad for a kid who from West Baltimore who grew up hungry, seen countless dead bodies, witnessed shootouts and — later in life — tragically lost his mother. Hence, the broken-heart tattoo under his right eye.
At one point this offseason, I caught up with an assistant coach from a team that played Buffalo last season. His team was smashed by Buffalo and, even then, he was blunt in his assessment of this roster. To him, it’s Allen and a bunch of Average Joes.
To punch through — to get to a Super Bowl — Buffalo needs a new star (or two) to emerge.
Benford is the best bet.
It’s still killing him that a concussion knocked him out in the first quarter of Buffalo’s AFC Championship loss to Kansas City. When Benford was carted away, Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes relentlessly targeted his replacement. If Benford stays healthy, there’s a very good chance the Bills head to New Orleans to play the Philadelphia Eagles in the Super Bowl. Nobody’s more important on defense.
It’s very clear Benford is driven to get right back to that conference championship game and pick up where he left off.
Go Long caught up with the cornerback during training camp.
We delve into several topics.
How fatherhood shaped his life perspective. His son’s almost 7 years old.
The player you all saw say a prayer for Maxwell Hairston on “Hard Knocks” leans heavily into his faith.
When bullets are spraying all directions, what do you do? As a kid, he lived that scenario.
How the life-and-death nature of West Baltimore sharpens his mind as an NFL cornerback.
He wants to shadow the No. 1 wide receivers this season.
Concussions. Benford suffered one vs. Baltimore in the divisional round of the playoffs, then another in Kansas City. It was scary. He admits he returned too soon. (“I was cooked. I was barbecued.”) Is he worried what another concussion could do?
Most play the sport because it’s fun — that’s never been the case for Christian Benford. He has always played because he needs it. To this day, the Bills corner says he’s preserving that “inner child” desire. (“I’m thinking about changing my family every play.”)
How badly he wants a Super Bowl shot. (“I’m out there going to war with behind closed doors. I want it.”)
Our full conversation is below.
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Take us into your world. The life of a shutdown corner cannot be easy in today’s NFL. What goes into Christian Benford being one of the best corners in the NFL? What’s top of mind for you?
Benford: Just doing God’s work. That’s first and foremost. Football only lasts so long, but the way of Christ lasts forever. So doing the Lord’s work: praying, talking to him daily, rejoicing, thanking him for everything that I have done and will do. And even for the downsides, the upsides, everything. Just being thankful to Him. Because he keeps me grounded. He helps my foundation stay strong because — again — living on this earth, everything can be so rocky. There’s good days. There’s bad days. There’s people giving you love. There’s people giving you hate. The same people that you think are you giving love are probably giving you hate. There’s so much questioning and so much uncertainty in this world. But the one thing that stays true — and keeps my foundation strong — is my faith in Jesus Christ. That’s my main thing. That’s on top of my mind.
Have you always been spiritual your entire life or is this something — as you’ve matured and gotten older — that you’ve embraced?
Benford: You know something funny. I grew up going to churches, but I just hated going. I hated going because I couldn’t focus for that long. I spent the night at my cousin’s house. Their Dad would make me go to church and I’ve got wear their clothes for Sunday’s best. And then it’d be too long. And then I went to Catholic school. I was around it. God was always around. I just never connected the dots because I was just young. The way it was introduced to me, I just couldn’t handle it. It was too much for me. So I rejected it.
Outright rejected?
Benford: Not like, “I don’t want God in my life.” I was always like, “Yes, God.” But I just didn’t grasp it.
Kind of like you’re in a lecture hall, and it’s in one ear and out the other?
Benford: Exactly. Because there was so much information shot at me and I was just like, “Bro, it’s just another lecture. I want to go outside and play, but I’m here. I want to do something else, but I’m here. I didn’t connect the dots. As I got older, probably high school a little bit, I got closer to God. I would feel Him a little bit more and then I had close friends pass away, family issues. I was always calling for God, but sometimes you call for God and it’s more so just a “I’m calling you so you can get me. Right now, I’m calling you just to be with you.” I’m being honest. So as I got older, me as a father now, I understand so much. Because my son, I want the biggest relationship with him. I forgive him for everything he does. And the next day I’m going to love him like he never did what he just did. And that’s how God thinks about us. And it kind of got to me once I had his son to look at it — it changes everything.
God always wants the best for me. Sometimes I’m like, “Dang, why is God doing this to me?” X, Y, Z. And I will push him away. But then I’m like, “Bro, my son’s doing the same thing to me: ‘Dad, why you doing this to me?’” I’ll say, “I promise you you’re going to be alright.” That’s exactly what God is doing to me. And it took me so long to process that. So I would say I got stronger and stronger as the years went by. Moral of the story is that later on in my life I got really strong.
With everything you’ve been through, I can understand why you’d be wondering, “Why me?”Growing up, West Baltimore, you’d seen people die right in front of you. You saw some shit that I would think kind of hardened you down these lines.
Benford: Yeah, but I’m not going to lie. Baltimore isn’t too bad nowadays. It’s still bad. You still have reckless kids and stuff, but it ain’t too bad. There’s a lot of good areas out there that I take my wifey and my kid out there and they have a ball. They meet new people out there. The people are so friendly out there. It’s Baltimore. So there’s no Southern hospitality. You’ll still get a little look at you.
How did that are make you as a cornerback? Growing up there and seeing what you saw?
Benford: It helped me be patient. I know how to bounce back from wherever I came from. So on the field, something happens? It’s like, “Bet.” I know I’m a competitor, but it is what it is. You can’t change it. You can’t change what you saw sometimes. You can’t change what you felt. So you’ve got to move on. That’s something me and my boys back home say: Sometimes, it is what it is.
What is the craziest thing that you saw?
Benford: The craziest thing is seeing a true body. I feel that’s probably the craziest thing. You see a true body. I don’t tell my folks. I tell the guys because I always hung out with people older than me, so we’d go do crazy stuff. We’ll go the next few blocks. My Dad would tell me, “Don’t go past the street.” And I'm like, I’m three miles out. But my boys had cars. They were all way older than me.
A little different than Orchard Park, NY.
Benford: Yeah, I’m out here. You’ll see a lot.
When you’re playing corner, you’ve got tens of millions of people watching you. You’re all alone out there. Something is going to go wrong at some point.
Benford: I feel like the craziest thing is actually a shootout. That’s probably the craziest thing because the body, you’ll look at it and say, “Oh, dang.” I pray for the parents, call 9-1-1, XYZ. But I feel like the craziest thing to really see? It’s a shootout. I feel like that shootout is really worse because it’s like, “Yo, you could get hit right now.” You could get hit! I laugh at it because I’m older now and I’m chilling. Me and my boys, I feel like everybody has their “wearing a carry” license. Everybody has their license and I feel like if we’ve got to carry ourselves, we’re not going. If we’re going to an area where we’ve got to put one in our pants, we’re not going. Now, we can laugh about it. But when we were younger? Yeah, no shot buddy.
How many shootouts do you think you were just around? Several?
Benford: You remember the feeling rather than how many. The numbness. Your eyes. I feel like everything gets big.
Do you run? Do you hit the deck?
Benford: You’ve got to drop. You can’t run because you never know. I hate to say it, but a lot of people back then — nowadays they have guns and don’t know how to shoot. A lot of states have “wear to carry” and they’ve got guns. But a lot of them never shot. I hate to say this, but you’ll see on the news, somebody’s kid, somebody’s child — somebody that was just a bystander…
You’re going to a basketball school (Villanova) and I don’t know if you’re even thinking NFL. Then, you’re a sixth-round pick. The odds have been stacked against you for a while now, but something has been inside of you to get to this point where you’re signing this contract and you’re one of the best corners in the NFL. How do you think that all really made you?
Benford: It didn’t relax me, but it helped the inner child. Every kid has a dream, has a worry to help their family or whatever their mission is.
What do you mean by inner child?
Benford: Some people play football, but some people need football. It’s a little different than just playing football. I need this. Because I’m trying to change. I’m trying to make generational wealth. I’m trying to beat the system. I’m trying to break the chains and make everybody see what I’m seeing or see something different so we could continuously grow in a different direction our past didn’t bring us to.
You needed it.
Benford: Your inner child says, “I’m going to work so hard so I can make it. Help my family. I’m going to be the changer.” There’s so many kids listening to this that feel the exact same way: “I’m going to play so I can change my family.” Obviously there’s many other ways you could do that. Football isn’t the only way to do it. Thank the Lord I’m here. But my son, I would never tell my son, “You’ve got to play football to make it.” There’s so many different ways to making it life to where you could be that millionaire and change your family. There’s so many different ways in this world. I’m glad God called for me to do this, but I say my my “inner child,” because young me? I was thinking about changing my family.
When I was younger, I wasn’t playing football because I had fun with it. Because I wanted to. Bro, I need this. I need this.
At what point did you feel that?
Benford: Pop Warner. I don’t know why I feel open telling you. But there were times when I did push-ups until I cried. I was doing pushups until I cried. It was so funny. If you had my sister, they’d probably tell you, “Yeah, he did that.” There were times I didn’t want to play football. I ain’t going to lie to you. I’d say, “I do not want to play. I could make money somewhere else.” She forced me to play. I really need this. I’ve got a mission. So when I was out there playing football with them, everybody’s having fun, but I’m like, “Bro, I need this.” I’m not even thinking about just having fun with my friends. I’m thinking about changing my family every play.
Everybody else is thinking: “Oh yeah, man, let’s get some oranges at halftime.” I’m like, “No, I need another touch so somebody else could see me.” So, my family doesn’t have to pay for high school. Then, my family doesn’t have to pay for college, so forth and so on. That’s how I thought. I feel like a lot of kids don’t understand that. So once I got accolades, I’m thankful but it didn’t change how I work. It didn’t change me. It just helped my inner self, my younger self.
Because you’re living with siblings and cousins. You’re looking for the coins in the couch cushion to get a bag of chips to eat. What’s your world really look like then? So how does that hunger manifest to the field, whether it’s high school, college, or even the pros. When you wake up in the morning, how are you really attacking your profession?
Benford: I’m not going to lie, I’m not a morning person. Don’t wake me up that early because I’ll be mad. But once I’m up and going, then my mindset switches. I’m on it. I’ve got mission. I get on my knees, bow my head and say my prayer: “Lord, give me strength. Spread your light into me and to others.” That's how my morning goes and I’ll go get it. Whatever happens, happens. I surrender.
What do you think you do different as a corner than others?
Benford: My patience. I’m chilling.
Other guys get antsy up there?
Benford: I don’t know. I just know I’m not antsy. I’m chilling. Everybody gives me some good work.
Was there a moment at ‘Nova when you realized, “The NFL could be real here. I’ve got a game that can really translate to the pros and I can be somebody.” When did that kick in for you?
Benford: I felt like that in Pop Warner. I felt I could make it.
Because you need it.
Benford: I feel like I could make it. Once I saw other people making it, I’m like, “Bro, I can make this.”
For people that don’t realize what really goes into your profession and the work that you’ve got to pour into this thing, where would you even start? What do you credit? You’re now a leader on a Super Bowl contender.
Benford: God prepared me for that. That’s it. Everything I’ve been through. Everything I’ve seen. Everything I felt. Everything I experienced, that’s God preparing me for where I’m at right now. God’s not going to give you something if you’re not ready for it. When he gives you certain stuff — if you’re not ready for it? — he’s doing it so you can be ready for it. You’re in that because you deserve it. And because you eventually will be ready for it.
This point last year, I was actually talking to Rasul Douglas. It was driving him how — that last Kansas City game — he was out there playing on a torn MCL. He wasn’t himself. You're not even on the field when the season ended. I can't imagine the motivation that you’re feeling. You’re probably thinking: “If I’m out there on the field, it’s a different outcome.” Has it been driving you?
Benford: It drove me in the offseason. Now, I’m just taking it day-by-day right now. But during the offseason? I was thinking, “Bro, I let the team down.” I could’ve been out there. I want the Super Bowl. I want one. I want it with them boys I’m out there going to war with behind closed doors. I want it. We have to go get it.
Sounds like you’re being a little hard on yourself to say you “let the team down” when you’re concussed. Nothing you can really do about that. That’s what you felt, though?
Benford: Yeah. I want one now, so I got to go get one. Lord willing. We’ll see what God’s got for us.
How did you feel? You returned quick from one concussion (vs. Baltimore) to playing the next week. I know you want to play — it’s the AFC Championship Game.
Benford: That’s what fucked.. messed me up. To be honest. Coming back so soon. I felt straight. But that head is nothing to play about.
Any concerns down those lines?
Benford: Nah, because they gave me so much stuff. Not like bad stuff. Just supplements I’ve never thought of. I felt better almost. Beforehand, I wasn’t taking that much stuff. Now, they’re helping me with my nutrition. All of these different supplements that help my body. I’m feeling so much better. You know what I'm saying? I hate to say it but it kind of helped me that I got that injury.
Really?
Benford: That’s why I hate to say that, but everything’s different. My nutrition is severely different. When I’m intaking in my body is severely different. Obviously I had the idea beforehand — I’ve got to watch what I eat — but there’s different supplements that I never knew about that could really help me for the long run.
Your whole body or your actual brain?
Benford: Your brain and your body. There’s some stuff that’s called “brain food.” I didn’t know creatine could help with your brain, too. Lion’s mane, stuff like that.
Did it take you long to recover from that concussion in Kansas City. It looked like you were out of it?
Benford: I was cooked. I was barbecued.
That’s pretty scary.
Benford: I was barbecued. It took me a minute. I was just tired. I was mad tired.
When did you come to? Did you black out for a period of time and then come to later?
Benford: I was just tired. Just tired. I was like, “Bro, there’s something not right.” All I remember was seeing ‘Sul.’ Sul grabbed me and I was out of it. A severe high almost. Everything’s just fucking messing with my mind. I took a nap. I ain’t going to lie to you. I took a nap.
Back in the locker room?
Benford: I was out, bro. I’m like, ‘Bro, I’m tired.’ So, I closed my eyes. I know they say you’re not supposed to, but sometimes you’ve got to listen to your body. If I need a nap. I’m going to take a nap.
When you woke up, was the game still going on?
Benford: Yeah, I was in and out. I called my lady.
All of this being considered — into this season — it’s always Super Bowl or Bust with this team. What’s going through your mind right now?
Benford: Just to be better, better than last year. Be that No. 1.
Did you buy anything with your new contract?
Benford: Saving my money. Racking money up. Making sure my children’s future is good for colleges. I’ve got one, but just my future kids. I’ll plan all that stuff out. Right now with how much college price costs, how much private school costs, I’ll save up. Real estate businesses.
Do you want to be known as one of the best corners in football? That stuff comes out at ESPN and the personnel execs, coaches, scouts don’t mention your name at all. Did that piss you off? What goes into wanting to be one of the best?
Benford: Yeah, it does kind of piss you off. But you can’t let the devil get into your ear too much. The devil’s going to say you’re not good enough. Clearly, your name’s not getting called — X, Y, Z. Being in tune with the devil is going to take you a different path than what you’re supposed to be. I stay true to God. Whatever happens, happens. They call my name, they call my name.
How are you going to assert yourself as one of the best this year?
Benford: Take the No. 1. Guard the No. 1.
You want to follow whoever the No. 1 wide receiver is?
Benford: Whoever that No. 1 is.
Great interview, Tyler. I'm curious if Kaiir Elam came up in your conversation.