Bills’ Wings Of The Week- Energetic Tre’Davious White
Buffalo Bills’ All Pro, Tre’Davious White went down last season with an ACL injury, and some had doubts about his Week One. It appears, he just might return.
Welcome Back Wings!
A moment we have all been waiting for since this past Thanksgiving, the return of Bills’ top corner, Tre White. Even though he is currently on the training camp PUP list, we can all smell what’s cooking in the kitchen. With rumors swirling of White possibly being ready for Week One against the LA Rams, mixed with the sideline work he’s done throughout training camp, the mafia is buzzing with excitement.
We all love and appreciate White for what he is, an energetic, ball-hawking menace of a cornerback. Between what he brings on the field of play and his energy in the locker room, it’s clear he was built for Buffalo. When he went down it, the mafia as a whole felt like we had lost a family member. Thank goodness it was a see you later and not a goodbye.
Hot Wings With A Side Of Hot Play!
Being the first player drafted in the McBeane era, everything that Buffalo has become can all be traced back to Mr. White. Taken with the 27th pick in the 2017 draft, he has been a foundational piece to the team we all know and love today. From being a lockdown goalie off the field to a lockdown corner on and even as a high school quarterback, White has proven he can do it all.
McDermott named White a starter going into Week One of his rookie season, playing alongside veteran corner E.J. Gaines. Starting early in his career White has had a knack for the football. In Week Three against the Broncos, White had his first career interception which sealed the win. You may also remember a cheap shot play from this rookie year. When Gronk jumped on Tre White’s back after intercepting a pass from Brady to Gronkowski. Nonetheless, White had an incredible start to a career and little did we know how much more was to come.
Tre finished his rookie season with a very impressive stat line of 69 total tackles, 18 pass breakups, and four interceptions. He was named AFC Rookie of the Month after his hot start against the Broncos and Jets early in September. With those end-of-year numbers, Per Pro Football Focus, Tre’Davious was ranked as the third-best corner in football in 2017 as a rookie. Most people watching football in 2017 thought hands down White was the best defensive rookie in the league. But he was snubbed, and the Rookie of the Year award was given to Marshawn Lattimore.
Wings So Good That They Make You Want To Come Back!
Before his injury last year, it looked as though White was on his way to another All-Pro season. Starting all 11 games White amassed 41 total tackles, half a sack, six pass deflections, one interception, one forced fumble, and one fumble recovery. The stats may not pop as they have in previous years but the eyeball test (which I personally find most important) showed the impact Tre had on the field.
When he is available White is considered to be a top three to top five corners in the league. That means opposing quarterbacks and coaches game plan on how to not throw to his side of the field. Having that advantage over opposing offenses is one of the main reasons the Bills’ defense is so dang good. With half the field shut down, Leslie Frazier can scheme the other All-Pro players in the secondary to shut down everything else.
Absence Makes The Heart Grow Fonder
As a fan base and franchise, we are so incredibly spoiled to have not one, not two but three All-Pro players in the secondary. Tre, Jordan Poyer, and Micah Hyde all joined the Bills in 2017, with White via the draft and Micah Hyde and Jordan Poyer joining through free agency. In March 2017, no one knew the Bills were going to be signing the best safety tandem in the league but here we are five years later and the band’s still marching.
In White’s absence in 2021, the safety duo stepped up in a massive way. Both received their first All-Pro selections with Poyer being snubbed yet again as a Pro-Bowler. Poyer was the only defensive back in the NFL that had five sacks and five interceptions on the year. Also, let’s not forget about the impossible interception Micah Hyde made against Mac “Bag of Milk” Jones in the first round of the playoffs. That play will live on forever throughout Bills Mafia much like the interception by Taron Johnson the previous year against the Ravens in the playoffs.
After the departure of Levi Wallace in free agency this year we all knew one thing was certain, a new face in the cornerback room was coming. Kaiir Elam is the new young face that the Bills took with the 24th overall pick in this past draft. It may only be the first pre-season game of the year, but after watching him stand his ground being targeted by Super Bowl quarterback Matt Ryan, he looks like the real deal.
If Elam pans out like we all hope, this could hands down be the best secondary the Bills have ever had. My personal opinion is Tre will be back before the Bills’ bye week this upcoming season with the starting secondary being White, Bills’ slot corner Taron Johnson and Elam, with Poyer and Hyde rounding it out. From Bills Mafia to you Tre’Davious, we’ve missed you dearly and couldn’t be more excited to have you back. We wish you good luck and hope you enjoy your wings!
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