Getty Tre'Davious White celebrates an interception in a Buffalo Bills game.
Buffalo Bills cornerback Tre’Davious White is joining teammate Von Miller in recruiting Odell Beckham Jr. to Buffalo — and not exactly taking a subtle tactic.
White revealed this week that he has been in contact with Beckham, his former teammate at LSU and one of the league’s most sought-after free agents. Miller has been open in his efforts to convince Beckham to join the Bills when he’s ready to make a decision, and White is now joining by spamming the inbox of the Pro Bowl wide receiver.
White Using Emoji to Convince Beckham
As WKBW’s Matt Bove reported, White has been using the power of emoji to sway Beckham over to the Bills.
“Tre’Davious White said he’s sent Odell Beckham Jr. about 2700 Buffalo Bills emojis. The two of them played together at LSU and have remained very good friends,” Bove tweeted.
Tre’Davious White said he’s sent Odell Beckham Jr. about 2700 Buffalo Bills emojis. The two of them played together at LSU and have remained very good friends.
Miller has been a bit more public in his efforts, openly stating that he believes his former Los Angeles Rams teammate has already made up his mind about joining the Bills.
“He’s coming to the Bills. He’s coming to the Bills,” Miller said in an October 5 appearance on the Richard Sherman Podcast. “It’s already said and done. He’s coming to the Bills. We’re down a couple of receivers, man… When it’s said and done, we know where Odell is going to be at man.”
Bills general manager Brandon Beane confirmed this week that the Bills have interest in Beckham.
“OBJ’s a heck of a talent,” Beane said, via a report from WIVB. “If we did, you have to remember there’s financials, there’s roles, there’s all sorts of things that would have to line up. A guy of his talent, of course we’d look into that.”
Beckham is in the final stages of rehab from a torn ACL suffered in last season’s Super Bowl, but it’s not entirely clear when he will be ready. Some early reports indicated he could be ready near the end of November, but ESPN’s Dan Graziano reported that two league executives said his return would be closer to mid-December.
White, OBJ Maintain Close Relationship
White’s relationship with Beckham extends beyond emoji recruitment. In an interview with the Katherine Fitzgerald Buffalo News, White said he has leaned on his former LSU teammate for support as they’ve both gone through their ACL rehab at the same time.
“The uncertainty crept in,” Fitzgerald wrote. “White had not had a season-ending injury before, or a surgery like this. He leaned on teammates, like safety Micah Hyde, who now finds himself leaning back on White. White reached out to college teammate Odell Beckham Jr., who’s going through the process again.”
#Bills CB Tre’Davious White talks about how his kids helped him during his rehab from a torn ACL last November:
“Once I started walking normally he was like dad you wanna play hide ‘n seek?”
“They got me through it, each and every day seeing them.”
White was taken off the physically-unable-to-perform list before Buffalo’s win over the Kansas City Chiefs on October 16, and this week was returned to the active roster for the first time since last season. The Bills have not yet said when he might return, but head coach Sean McDermott did not rule out White seeing the field this week against the New York Jets.