The short version: Christian Benford was a limited participant in Thursday's practice — his first work since suffering a non-contact toe injury in the second half of the Week 3 win over the Chargers. Buffalo (3-1) needs its starting cornerback back in a hurry with a trip to SoFi Stadium looming for Monday Night Football against Matthew Stafford and the 2-2 Los Angeles Rams.

The sight for sore eyes at One Bills Drive

There he was. After two weeks of watching from the sideline in a walking boot — the same walking boot cameras caught him in after the Chargers game back on September 27 — Christian Benford was back on the practice field Thursday, even if only in a limited capacity. He missed all of last week's practices and sat out the 29-26 Week 4 loss to the New England Patriots, and the secondary looked exactly like a group missing its steadiest cover man.

Let's be honest about what happened against New England: Buffalo ran out of cornerbacks. When the nickel spot needed a body, backup safety Damar Hamlin had to slide down and play out of position. Rookie Davison Igbinosun got thrown into the fire opposite Maxwell Hairston, and Hairston got torched — two touchdowns allowed on just four receptions. That is not a sustainable way to play professional defense, and it is definitely not a way to walk into SoFi Stadium against Stafford, Davante Adams, and a healthy Puka Nacua.

The good news stacked up in more ways than one Thursday. The Bills have not placed Benford on injured reserve, which tells you everything about how the training staff views this injury: serious enough to cost him two weeks, not serious enough to cost him a month. This is also the second toe scare of his season cycle — he missed a game last December with a toe issue too — so the medical team knows the drill here.

Why Monday night makes this urgent

Jim Leonhard's defense has had a rough month by any measure. The Bills rank 28th in the NFL in EPA allowed per play and 27th against the pass, per NFL.com. And it gets worse when you zoom in: per Sharp Football Analysis, all four of Buffalo's primary cornerbacks have allowed a passer rating above 100 when targeted this season. That's not a slump; that's a trend.

The receipts are ugly. Nico Collins hung 75 yards and a touchdown on this secondary. Amon-Ra St. Brown went for 142 yards and two scores. Romeo Doubs found the end zone twice. These are not flukes — this is what happens when quarterbacks look at Buffalo's cornerbacks and see green lights.

Now multiply that by Matthew Stafford. The Rams quarterback is running a passing attack that can carve up anybody when he's in rhythm, and Adams and Nacua are about as tough a one-two punch as exists in the league right now. If Benford can't go Monday, Buffalo is asking Hairston and Igbinosun to hold up in prime time against one of the most efficient passing games in football. That is a matchup nightmare, plain and simple.

The rest of the Thursday injury board

Benford wasn't the only name worth watching. Defensive lineman Landon Jackson was limited with a knee injury — another rotation piece the Bills would love to have healthy.

The did-not-practice list was longer and more concerning. Wide receiver DJ Moore sat out with a shoulder injury, and that's the one that could quietly swing the game. Moore, 29, has never missed a game in his entire career — a remarkable durability streak in a league that chews up receivers. Offensive coordinator Joe Brady made it clear the door is wide open: if Moore tells the staff he can go, he'll be active. If not, rookie Skyler Bell could get his first game-day jersey, which would be a baptism by fire on Monday night.

Also sitting out: defensive tackle Ed Oliver (knee) and nickel cornerback Dee Alford (ankle). Losing Alford on top of Benford's uncertainty would leave the slot dangerously thin.

The full-participant list was the longest of the day and mostly good news: linebacker Terrel Bernard (knee), outside linebacker Bradley Chubb (thumb), linebacker Joe Andreessen (knee), receiver Keon Coleman (ankle), running back Ray Davis (hamstring), Hamlin (ribs), guard Ar'maj Reed-Adams (elbow), defensive tackle T.J. Sanders (illness), and linebacker Dorian Williams (hip) all went full. That's a lot of banged-up starters trending the right direction.

The cornerback depth chart is held together with tape

Here's where the roster math gets uncomfortable. Practice-squad cornerback Te'Cory Couch was not spotted during the media-open portion of Thursday's practice. The Bills did sign cornerback A.J. Woods to the practice squad this week, which is the kind of move that tells you the front office is bracing for a world where it needs emergency depth Monday.

Benford practicing in any capacity changes the math. A limited Thursday usually means the team wants to see how the body responds Friday before making a call — this is a Monday game, so Buffalo gets an extra day of evaluation that it wouldn't have in a normal Sunday week. If the toe holds up through Friday and Saturday's work, there's a real path to him suiting up at SoFi.

What the Rams look like on the other side

Los Angeles has its own walking wounded. Linebackers Grant Stuard (hamstring) and Josaiah Stewart (groin), safety Quentin Lake (hip), and linebacker Nate Landman (shoulder) all missed Thursday's session. Tight end Colby Parkinson (knee/shoulder), defensive tackle Aaron Donald (back), and cornerback Jaylen Watson (shoulder) were limited — but head coach Sean McVay told reporters Thursday that the hope is all of them play Monday. Receiver Konata Mumpfeld was a full participant.

Translation: both teams are limping a little, but the Rams expect to be close to whole where it counts. The Bills are hoping Benford makes them whole where it matters most.

The Previously take

This is a season-swing game disguised as a fun Monday night matchup. Buffalo is 3-1, coming off a loss to New England, and staring at a defense that ranks near the bottom of the league against the pass. The Rams are 2-2 and dangerous. If the Bills walk into SoFi with the same cornerback group that got shredded by the Patriots — Hamlin playing nickel, a rookie on an island, Hairston coming off a two-touchdown-allowed afternoon — Stafford will pick them apart by halftime.

But if Benford's toe cooperates and he suits up Monday, this is a different game entirely. He's the one cornerback on this roster who has shown he can travel with top receivers, and his presence lets Leonhard play the coverage the way he actually wants to play it instead of the coverage he's been forced into for two weeks.

Watch Friday's practice report. That's the real tell. A limited Thursday is a door cracked open. A full Friday blows it wide open. And with kickoff set for 8:15 p.m. ET Monday night, Buffalo has one extra day of hope that its best corner makes the trip west — because without him, Monday night in Los Angeles could get loud in all the wrong ways.