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The Buffalo Bills are adding a former rival quarterback to their practice squad — and he comes with an unusual request.
The team announced on August 28 that they signed former New York Jets and Miami Dolphins quarterback Mike White, filling an important spot after they were struck by injuries. White came with some bad experiences at Highmark Stadium, taking a hit from Bills linebacker Matt Milano in a December 2022 game that left him with broken ribs. White, playing for the Jets at the time, ended up going to the hospital after the game ended.
As reporter Matt Bove noted on X, White shared a tongue-in-cheek request to the team upon signing.
“Mike White said his only condition signing with the Bills was that he couldn’t be locker mates with Matt Milano. He said he thinks part of his rib is still on the 30-yard line inside Highmark Stadium,” Bove shared.
Former Rival Provides Depth Behind Josh Allen
White is expected to serve as the team’s No. 3 quarterback, but could be tapped to back up Josh Allen to start the season if backup Mitch Trubisky is not ready to play. Trubisky suffered a knee injury during the preseason and the team has not yet confirmed whether he will be ready to play for the season opener against the Arizona Cardinals on September 8.
The Athletic’s Joe Buscaglia reported on Wednesday that Bills general manager Brandon Beane is hoping to have Trubisky available, but admitted that a trip to the injured reserve is still on the table.
“Bills GM Brandon Beane said they are ‘cautiously optimistic’ that they won’t need to put QB Mitch Trubisky on IR, but until they see him practice, nothing is off the table,” Buscaglia shared on X.
The Bills suffered other injuries at quarterback, losing former practice squad signal caller Shane Buechele to a neck injury this preseason. The Bills signed a pair of veteran quarterbacks in Ben DiNucci and Anthony Brown to complete the preseason, but both were released at final roster cutdowns on August 27.
The 29-year-old White has appeared in 14 NFL games with seven starts, all with the Jets. He has thrown for a total of 2,219 yards with nine touchdowns and 13 interceptions in his career.
Mike White’s Gritty Game Against Bills
White earned plenty of respect around the league after he was hurt in the team’s 20-12 loss to the Bills in 2022. The quarterback took a big hit in the game and was briefly sidelined, but returned a few plays later.
White later suffered an even more crushing hit by Milano, but again returned.
After the game, White had to be taken to the hospital where doctors found he had suffered a rib fracture.
The following day, White told reporters there was no way he was going to leave the game.
“I knew, if everything was fine, I was going in,” White said after the game, via SI.com. “You would’ve had to peel me off that field. It was never in my mind that, ‘Yeah, I’m not finishing this game.’ ”
