One of the oldest, corniest football cliches you can throw out is one that extolls teams being only as strong as their weakest link, or some variation of that sentiment. You get it.
Unfortunately, some cliches are true. And in the case of the Washington Commanders, the cornerbacks room continually gets singled out as the weakest link.
With the Commanders a surprising 6-2 and their success arguably the biggest story in the NFL midway through the 2024 regular season, it might behoove them to trade for a proven cornerback ahead of the NFL trade deadline on November 5.
It just so happens there’s one of those available and recently given free reign to seek a trade with Los Angeles Rams cornerback and 2-time NFL All-Pro Tre’Davious White.
Rams head coach Sean McVay confirmed on October 28 that the team had given White permission to find a team willing to deal for him.
“He’s been such a pro about the way he’s handled obviously a not-ideal situation for him,” McVay told the Rams’ official website. “If you guys saw the way he’s practiced, the way that he’s been a pro in every sense of the word, and approaches some things where, he hasn’t been active the last three weeks. Guy wants an opportunity to be able to compete, and we love him here. We’d like to be able to keep him here, but if that is something that he and his agent want to be able to explore, we’re obviously respectfully understanding of that. And so the answer is yes, we’ve allowed them to be able to talk to some teams to see if that’s a possibility.”
White signed a 1-year, $4.25 million contract with the Rams in April 2024 and has been a healthy scratch the last 3 games after starting the first 4 games, where he had 12 tackles and 2 pass deflections.
White Was One of NFL’s Best Cornerbacks
White was a first round pick (No. 27 overall) by the Buffalo Bills in the 2017 NFL draft and was one of the NFL’s best cornerbacks for the first part of his career.
After making the PFWAA All-Rookie Team, White earned back-to-back NFL All-Pro and Pro Bowl honors in 2019 and 2020, including leading the NFL with 6 interceptions.
White signed a 4-year, $69 million contract extension with the Bills before the 2020 season — also the last time he had multiple interceptions in a single season. Of White’s 18 career interceptions, 15 of them came in his first 4 seasons.
Injuries have been an issue, including a torn Achilles tendon in Week 4 of the 2023 regular season. After only missing 3 games in his first 4 seasons, White missed a total of 30 games over the next 3 seasons, including playing just 10 games across the 2022 and 2023 seasons.
Commanders CBs Could Ruin Dream Season
Bleacher Report’s Matt Holder singled cornerback out as the Commanders’ No. 1 weakness headed into a Week 9 road game against the New York Giants.
“The Commanders have a legitimate shot at winning the division or at least making the playoffs as a wild-card team this year,” Holder wrote. “But the defense’s cornerback room could ruin those hopes, so it’d be smart to add a veteran ahead of the trade deadline … “
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Trade Proposal Lands Commanders 2-Time NFL All-Pro CB From NFC West