The Buffalo Bills kicked off the 2025 NFL season like gangbusters, beating the Baltimore Ravens 41-40 in a heroic comeback at Highmark Stadium. But it turns out the Ravens are no good this season, and the Bills' 4-0 record was slightly inflated by playing three teams with a combined two wins.
While the team was able to hide some of its weak links against these inferior opponents in the first month of the season, they got brutally exposed in Week 5. The New England Patriots came to town and earned a hard-fought 23-20 AFC East victory.
Now that the team is no longer perfect, they can stop pretending like there weren't problems throughout the first quarter of the campaign. This veteran player, in particular, has been an issue, and he looks like he may already be finished after one month of the season.
Bills need to have a conversation about Tre'Davious White
Just a little over two years after being cut by the Bills, the team brought back cornerback Tre'Davious White this offseason. The former All-Pro was expected to bounce back and provide some production and veteran leadership for Buffalo after failed stints with the Ravens and Los Angeles Rams.
Through the first five games of the season, however, the opposite has been the case. White does have 19 tackles on the year, including a team-high four for a loss, as well as two passes defended. But don't let these solid statistics fool you, the product on the field from White has been largely bad.
According to Pro Football Focus, White has earned just a 55.3 overall grade this season, which is firmly below-average. His run defense, tackling and coverage grades are all below-average as well, given the advanced analytics around his performance.
White has been targeted 15 times this season and given up 12 completions for 119 yards and a touchdown. His 121.9 quarterback rating when targeted is the second-worst on the team, only to Christian Benford, who has struggled mightily in his own right.
To make matters worse, White has also missed three tackles this season and has been flagged three times, both of which came in the last two weeks. In Week 4, he was called for two defensive holding penalties, and he had a crucial pass interference called on him against the Patriots in Week 5.
Stefon Diggs and Jaylen Waddle both took him to school this season as well, and White just simply doesn't pass the eye test or look fast enough to keep up with the best receivers in the NFL anymore. He's a legendary figure in Buffalo, which was brought to light on HBO's Hard Knocks this summer.
But he's already showing signs of slowing down in a major way through five weeks of the season. White better bounce back, or else the team may need to look at patching up this hole in their secondary if they want to be a serious contender again.