Getty Tre'Davious White #27 of the Buffalo Bills celebrates after breaking up a pass during the second half of the AFC Wild Card playoff game against the Indianapolis Colts at Bills Stadium on January 09, 2021.
At some point very soon, the Buffalo Bills will likely need to part with one or more of their “cornerstone” players who have helped to build the team into a perennial Super Bowl contender.
One insider believes that next offseason could be the time, and All-Pro cornerback Tre’Davious White could be the candidate. The Bills face an impending cap crunch with a rise in quarterback Josh Allen’s salary and a number of home-grown players hoping to score major extensions. Jay Skurski of the Buffalo News believes that with a new infusion of young talent at cornerback, the Bills may consider trading White to focus on spending elsewhere.
Bills Could Make ‘Absurd’ Trade
In a mailbag column published on October 8, Skurski was asked whether the surprise success of rookie cornerbacks Kaiir Elam and Christian Benford could eventually render White redundant and allow the Bills to consider trading him. While Skurski said his initial reaction was that the idea was “absurd,” he noted that there could be merits to the idea and league-wide precedent in a team selling high on a star player.
“Tyreek Hill got traded last season, so nothing in the NFL should be ruled out,” Skurski wrote.
Skurski added that the Bills are facing some tough contract situations. All-Pro safety Jordan Poyer has publicly advocated for a new deal, linebacker Tremaine Edmunds will be headed to free agency along with running back Devin Singletary. Skurski suggested that the Bills could consider some options once believed to be unthinkable, like trading White for a package of high draft picks.
“The best path to sustained success in the NFL is through good drafts, because that provides a consistent pipeline of cheap, affordable talent,” he wrote. “Having a pair of promising rookie cornerbacks on their first contract is a way of cost cutting. Do I expect them to trade Tre White? Absolutely not – but I also wouldn’t shoot down the idea entirely, either. [General manager Brandon] Beane is going to have to start making those types of decisions to fit everyone under the cap.”
White Nearing Return to the Bills
The Bills are still waiting to see White return to the field this year after suffering a season-ending ACL tear in a Thanksgiving night win over the New Orleans Saints. White is eligible to return after spending the first four weeks of the season on the physically-unable-to-perform list, but head coach Sean McDermott has not given an exact timeline for when he might return.
“We’re going to continue to take it one day at a time,” he said. “He’s doing a good job with his rehab. He’s attacked it and when he’s ready to roll he’ll be out there.”
White has remained close to teammates through his rehab process, going through individual exercises during training camp and watching from the sidelines during games.
#Bills superstar CB Tre’Davious White is working off to the side at practice on the bike.
His return could be a major boost to a secondary that already lost All-Pro safety Micah Hyde to a season-ending neck injury, though it remains unclear exactly when it might happen. Because the Bills have a bye week coming up after Sunday’s showdown with the Kansas City Chiefs, the cautious approach would be to keep White out until the next game, a Sunday Night Football showdown with Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay Packers.