Last offseason, General Manager Brandon Beane essentially ripped apart the Buffalo Bills roster. Cornerstone veterans were, unfortunately, shown the door as Father Time prompted the Bills to embrace a youth movement.
One of those was fan favorite, former All-Pro cornerback Tre’Davious White. The first pick of the new era for the Buffalo Bills under Sean McDermott, and the first key piece in transforming the Bills into a top team year after year.
After a one-year hiatus, White was signed back to Buffalo this offseason, finally healthy, after multiple season-ending injuries robbed him of his prime years as one of the top cornerbacks in the NFL. Last season, he joined the Rams, where he would get benched after some rough play, and was traded to the Ravens at the deadline. He played solid for Baltimore, but his heart has always been in Buffalo.
Fans rejoiced at the return of one of their favorite players; however, expectations were tempered. In the back of Bills Mafia’s mind, the thought of prime Tre still lingered. He was viewed as a premier depth option, and then after they drafted Maxwell Hairston in round one, he was essentially locked in as a depth player, veteran voice, and mentor.
Yet, here we are as we near the end of the first week of training camp, and Tre White is a surging storyline. Are we really set to experience the comeback of one of the greatest cornerbacks in Buffalo Bills history? That vivid memory of Tre White that all fans hung on to, might actually become reality once again.
Tre White has looked great thus far in camp
It is certainly trending that way right now. Local media and content creators have been pointing out every practice of how good “All-Pro Tre” looks. He looks re-energized and, most importantly, healthy. White has also been getting the lion's share of snaps at cornerback two during practice.
White has been amped at every practice, playing every snap and drill extremely hard and with a lot of emotion. It is clear what this means to the former 27th overall selection of the 2017 Draft. Back in his home, to resurrect his career and help finish what he started in Buffalo.
That amped up attitude continued into his press conference following practice on Friday. Bills defensive coordinator Bobby Babich said that White is on a mission after finally having a healthy offseason.
While Maxwell Hairston has looked like a rookie thus far, he’s flashed his potential and speed. If White leaves camp as the starting cornerback opposite of Christian Benford, fans should not overreact. It gives Hairston more time to develop and learn the system, and it signals that, clearly, Tre White is back.
In seven seasons with Buffalo, White recorded 18 interceptions, 68 passes defended, five forced fumbles, five fumble recoveries, three sacks, 12 tackles for loss, and 311 total tackles. In 2017, he finished second in rookie of the year voting. In 2018, he was a First-Team All-Pro, Pro Bowler, and even received a vote for defensive player of the year.
He followed that up in 2019 as a Second-Team All-Pro and Pro Bowler. If White can recapture even half of his peak performance, the Bills will again have one of the league’s top cornerback duos, as Christian Benford continues his rise into one of the league’s best.
Training camp always brings about awesome and crazy stories. It will be hard to top this one this year, as Tre White is making his fiery return to Buffalo.