The Buffalo Bills parted ways with several longtime organizational staples over the past few weeks, and one of the biggest was free agent Tre’Davious White. At the peak of his power, the former first-round pick was among the best cornerbacks in the league. Selected out of LSU, the cornerback won First-Team All-Pro honors in 2019 and made the Pro Bowl in 2020. Following this campaign, the Bills gave him a four-year, $70 million extension to keep him around through the 2025 season.
Unfortunately, the injury bug has kept White off the field for a sizable portion of the past three seasons. The All-Pro tore his ACL late in the 2021 season, and the injury sidelined him for a sizable portion of the 2022 campaign. Then, in 2023, he tore his Achilles in Week 4. Carrying a massive cap hit and coming off a long string of injuries, the Bills had no choice but to release Tre’Davious White and make him a free agent.
While he carries significant injury risk, his long list of health issues is not going to spell the end of his career. According to Mike Garafolo, Tre’Davious White is going to begin taking free agent visits this week, starting with the Los Angeles Rams and Las Vegas Raiders.
Former #Bills All-Pro and Pro Bowl CB Tre’Davious White has visits scheduled with the #Rams and #Raiders this week, with a few more teams showing interest as well, sources say. White, cut by Buffalo earlier this month, is working his way back from a torn Achilles. pic.twitter.com/25GeAfRlxv
— Mike Garafolo (@MikeGarafolo) March 18, 2024
Tre’Davious White To Start Taking Free Agent Visits This Week
It’s going to be fascinating to see what kind of free agent market emerges for Tre’Davious White. At his best, the LSU product is one of the few players in the league capable of lining up opposite a star wide receiver and removing them from the game. That type of skillset is incredibly valuable in today’s pass-happy NFL, as evidenced by his previous $70 million extension. However, we also haven’t seen that version of White in quite some time. Even when he was on the field, the cornerback hasn’t looked like his old self in recent years.
The most likely solution is a one-year, incentive-laden deal. Any team looking to sign Tre’Davious White as a free agent could use Not Likely To Be Earned (NLTBE) incentives to lower his cap hit while still giving the cornerback a chance to earn a large payday. For instance, White only played in four games last year, so a team could tie a $1 million incentive to playing in five games and not need to worry about the salary cap implications until 2025.
The Rams and Raiders are the first two teams to schedule a free agent visit with Tre’Davious White, but they won’t be the only ones. While there is a real chance that injuries have taken their toll on the former All-Pro, these other three teams could roll the dice on the cornerback.
Other Possible Teams
New Orleans Saints
The Saints have a decent amount of cap space, and they’ll need to use it if they want to win the NFC South. The Falcons are one of the biggest winners of free agency, and the Buccaneers are bringing everyone back from last year’s roster. Dennis Allen will not survive another season without making the playoffs, and they don’t have the roster talent currently required to win the division. Tre’Davious White is a risk, but the free agent could help to form one of the best cornerback duos in the game if he can recapture his old form. This is a needed grouping when you share a division with Mike Evans, Chris Godwin, and Drake London.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers traded Carlton Davis to the Detroit Lions, creating a hole at the cornerback position. While the team managed to bring most of their roster back for one more round, the lack of cornerback depth is a problem. Seeing as Tampa Bay has less than $10 million in cap space, they might only be able to afford a cheaper free agent like Tre’Davious White.
Los Angeles Chargers
The Los Angeles Chargers have a decent amount of cap space, but they should use most of their remaining money to shore up the wide receiver and tackle positions. Even with this in mind, they should have enough left over to go out and get Tre’Davious White as a free agent. Maybe he won’t be able to singlehandedly fix this defense, but you need as many defensive backs as you can get when you share a division with Patrick Mahomes.
Main Photo: Geoff Burke – USA Today Sports
