The Buffalo Bills added a bit of nostalgia to the roster Thursday night, signing former All Pro CB Tre’Davious White to a one-year contract.
White was once one of the core players of the Bills from 2017 until his departure following the 2023 season. From 2017-2020, White was a two time Pro Bowler and a first team All Pro in 2019 and second team All Pro in 2020. He was living up to his contract that made him the highest paid cornerback in the league at signing before an ACL and Achilles tear left him a shell of his former self. He was released following the 2023 season, ending an era. Signing with the Los Angeles Rams in the offseason, he only appeared in a few games before being traded to the Baltimore Ravens in November.
Below is Tre’Davious White’s publicly reported injury history and analysis.
Injury History
LSU
2015 Sophomore year
Deep knee bruise, missed 1 game against Western Kentucky.
NFL
2017 Bills
Concussion, Week 13, missed 0 games.
2018 Bills
Ankle injury, Week 5 during practice, missed 0 games.
Head injury, Week 17 possible concussion, downgraded to out.
2019 Bills
Right quadriceps contusion, Preseason, missed 0 games.
Neck, Week 4 & 5 missed 0 games, was limited in practices.
Right low ankle sprain, Week 4, missed 0 games.
Left shoulder/stinger, Week 15, missed 0 games.
2020 Bills
Shoulder injury, Week 2, missed 0 games.
Back injury, Week 4 practice, missed 1 game.
Ankle, Week 9, missed 0 games.
Right side stinger/neck, Week 15, missed 0 games.
2021 Bills
Shoulder injury, side not specified, Week 4.
Left ACL and meniscus tear, Week 12, season-ending IR. Surgery on 12/15/21.
COVID, Week 16.
2022 Bills
Began training camp on PUP list while recovering from ACL surgery. Was placed on reserve/PUP to begin the season, missed a total 10 games before returning in Week 11.
2023 Bills
Right Achilles tear, Week 4, missed 15 games.
2024 Los Angeles Rams/Baltimore Ravens
Left Shoulder injury, Week 16, missed 0 games.
Video reviews showed that White attempted to square up to tackle and hit his left shoulder, forcing him to briefly leave the game. Based on the brief absence and how he hit, it’s possible he suffered a stinger.
Buffalo Bills Injury Analysis
White has had his fair share of injuries over the years. The ACL and Achilles are the biggest ones that stick out but his neck/shoulder injuries can’t be discounted either. He has had a variety of stingers over his career which does show some concern for cervical stenosis which we saw with Micah Hyde at the end of his career. It would not shock me to see White require some veteran rest days, wearing a red non-contact jersey, or even showing up on the injury report with a neck/shoulder issue. This is more of a management thing with the Bills being fully aware of his injury history. They can be more lenient with a player like White over other free agents due to the history because they treated him so often.
He has also had at least one, likely two concussions in his career which can’t be ignored but he has not had any head or concussion issues since 2018.
The biggest issues are the Achilles and ACL tears in his history. White showed that he could return to an acceptable level of play following his ACL reconstruction though he had to battle the mental hurdles of returning from the injury, his first major one in his career. He is several years removed from the ACL tear which means his risk to re-tear the same side or even the other is reduced. Research shows there is upwards of a 16 percent chance to re-tear over a five-year period but that is the high end with the low end being 5.8 percent.
As for his Achilles tear, NFL rates for reinjury are as high as 15 percent but he needs another mechanism of injury which is an eccentric contraction for this to happen. As referenced in the previous article about White’s Achilles rehab, there is an odd correlation with ACL and Achilles tears. The only cornerback who has suffered more than one Achilles tear is Jason Verrett along with an ACL tear. That’s rather promising that he is the only player which means that this is the exception and not the rule.
Final Thoughts
White has a lot of miles on him and even more experience. I had written back in 2023 that following the ACL and Achilles tears that I did not expect him to return to his All Pro form or even Pro Bowl for that matter.
However, with a one-year deal, this isn’t the expectation for White to play at those levels. His experience to mentor the younger players along with his ability to plug and play into the defense will be invaluable. Add in the fact that he is not tied to the Bills long term means there is really no downside to this signing.
With a full offseason to actually train, we may see a bounce back season from White to at least a serviceable player who can still show flashes of brilliance. The fan part of me, what he has meant to the organization isn’t lost on me or anyone for that matter. It’s a great homecoming for the organization and for White to continue his career.
I wish Tre’Davious White the best of luck in his return to Buffalo and to remain healthy this upcoming season.
Top Photo Credit: Buffalo Rumblings
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