Returning Bills Veteran Off to Rough Start at First Practice

The Buffalo Bills brought back veteran Tre’Davious White in free agency, adding some veteran leadership and skill to the depth chart in the secondary.

But White got off to a bit of a rough start at the team’s first round of OTAs this week, with quarterback Josh Allen targeting him several times in drills. White is expected to take on an important role on the team, though questions linger about how much speed and athleticism he may have lost after two major injuries in recent years.

Tre’Davious White Gives Up Touchdown at Practice

As reporter Alex Brasky noted, Allen targeted White twice to start the team’s practice on May 27, connecting with receivers for a couple of long gains.

“A few notes from 11v11 team drills at #Bills voluntary OTAs: -Josh Allen finds Curtis Samuel streaking across the formation, TD against Tre White,” Brasky wrote in a post on X. “Allen finds Elijah Moore downfield, Tre White in coverage”

Though White’s start may have been rough, he turned things around later in practice and showed off some of the speed and dexterity that made him an All-Pro cornerback during his first stint with the Bills.

“Tre’Davious White is back in a Bills helmet and uniform. I thought he looked good today. Quick feet and change of direction,” noted Sal Capaccio, reporter with WGR 500, in a post on X.

White’s slow start may not be an indication of where he stands on the depth chart, as early practices with no pads or contact tend to favor offenses.

White’s Big Return to Buffalo

White came to the Bills as a first-round pick in 2017, helping the team end its 17-year playoff drought and turning them into a perennial Super Bowl contender after the arrival of Josh Allen in 2018.

White saw some great success in Buffalo, earning an All-Pro nod in 2019, but suffered a torn ACL and torn Achilles over the course of a little more than two years. The Bills released him in March 2024 as part of a spree of cost-cutting moves.

The team brought White back in free agency, giving him the chance to compete for a starting job after the departure of incumbent starter Rasul Douglas.

White said he is happy to be back in Buffalo.

“I just felt in place. I felt home. For that I’m forever grateful, and I’m so thankful to be back,” he said, via the team’s official website.

The veteran cornerback added that his family was just as thrilled at his return to Buffalo.

“They were so excited to go into the attic, unbox those Buffalo blue jerseys and start back wearing that Buffalo blue again. So this is a big time for me,” White said.

White added that he told his agent he wanted to return to Buffalo this year — and didn’t have his eyes on any other teams.

“I told my agent, man, if you can’t get Buffalo on the line, just don’t call. This is the place that I want to be,” he shared.