ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. (WKBW) — Buffalo Bills first-round pick Max Hairston feels like he’s once again truly part of his team. After more than three months sidelined with a significant knee injury, Hairston returned to practice on Monday for the first time.
“All I care about is just being with my teammates, being a part of the team, and doing whatever I can to help the team,” Hairston told 7 Sports on Tuesday. “I'm just excited to keep,you know,continuing to practice and then do whatever the team needs me to do on game day.”
Hairston has been working off to the side for weeks, but on Monday, the team began his 21-day window to return from Injured Reserve. After three weeks, Hairston has to either be elevated to the 53-man roster or will miss the remainder of the season and return to injured reserve. This wasn’t how the top pick planned on spending his first season, but he says he’s learned a lot in the process.
“I was able to really look from a different perspective, look from a different point of view, and learn the game,” Hairston said. “From off the field and still taking mental reps while also expanding my knowledge on the playbook and just banking what I see, seeing how our guys react to the opposing team and vice versa, and just looking at it from a different point of view.”
While opening Hairston’s window to return is a big step, it’s not a guarantee he’ll make a huge immediate impact. Bills head coach Sean McDermott has said it’s important for Hairston to manage expectations as a rookie.
“For me personally, the only expectations I care about is the expectations from within the team. Any outside noise isn't important. Any noise outside the building isn't important,” Hairston said. “I just wanna do my 1/11th and contribute to the team as much as I can while still being a great teammate.”
Max Hairston is back. Just had a chance to chat with him about his return from injury and what he’s learned while sidelined @WKBW pic.twitter.com/qEE0d0yHju
— Matthew Bové (@Matt_Bove) October 21, 2025
