After C.J. Gardner-Johnson was suspended for one game for spitting toward a Las Vegas Raiders player, the Buffalo Bills added cornerback Tre'Davious White to their practice squad.
With two weeks to prepare for the Baltimore Ravens at home, now is the time to plan for the secondary's depth and inconsistent play through the first six games of the season. With Gardner-Johnson out for Week 8, let's take a look at some options the team can use in his place.
3 players looking to step up in absence of C.J. Gardner-Johnson
1.) Will Tre'Davious White be ready to play?
The 5-foot-11, 192-pound DBU (LSU) alum is back to excite Bills Mafia, but this time at the new Highmark Stadium, in his third stint with the Bills. Tre'Davious White faces a different situation than during his first two stays with the Bills.
Gone are the days of head coach Sean McDermott and his 4-3 scheme, in which White thrived despite the defense's poor ability to pressure the quarterback and stop the run.
White will be on the practice squad this time, learning defensive coordinator Jim Leonhard's aggressive 3-4 scheme, where he may be asked to play in the box to stop the run more than to drop back into coverage to create turnovers.
After leaving the Bills during his first stint, White gained experience playing in aggressive 3-4 schemes when he was with the LA Rams and the Baltimore Ravens.
While Brandon Beane knows what White can do on the field, they just want him to get up to speed on how Leonhard will use him in his aggressive 3-4 defense.
2.) Jalon Kilgore earns first meaningful playing time
The main bright spot in what has been known as a struggling year for the Bills' secondary is that another rookie from this year's draft class is now earning valuable playing time right away after waiting his turn.
First, it was second-round pick T.J. Parker; then fourth-round pick Skyler Bell; now it is fifth-round rookie safety Jalon Kilgore. The former South Carolina Gamecock played 11 defensive snaps, and he had mixed results.
He made a great pass deflection on third down, forcing a Las Vegas punt, but then he had his welcome-to-the-NFL rookie moment when Tre Tucker ran right past him for a touchdown. But he still had good coverage; it was just a nice catch by Tucker.
While the 6-foot-1, 210-pound athlete is by no means as consistent as Damar Hamlin, the Bills envisioned when they drafted Kilgore as a higher-ceiling, more athletic type of safety who could be a ballhawk and create more pick-sixes.
3.) Is Dee Alford healthy enough to play all four quarters?
In the last game, Dee Alford didn't miss a beat and made some nice coverage plays when the defense needed him to. He also showed some rust, which was expected for a player returning from an ankle injury. He was restricted to about 40 snaps, but made the most of all of them.
The 5-foot-11, 180-pound athlete may be a smaller corner, but he has the toughness a nickel corner needs, especially when playing in the box in Leonhard's 3-4 scheme.
Add us as a preferred source on Google