One year after the Buffalo Bills parted ways with cornerback Tre’Davious White, the first draft pick of the Sean McDermott era, the two sides have reunited for the 2025 season.
The Bills and White agreed to terms Thursday on a one-year deal to bolster the depth of the cornerback room, a league source said. ESPN reported the deal can be worth up to a maximum of $6.8 million.
Buffalo released White, 30, last offseason in a salary cap-saving move after he spent seven seasons with the franchise. White signed with the Los Angeles Rams and began last season with them before being traded to the Baltimore Ravens in November.
The good feelings between White and the Bills remained, despite their parting. White returned to Buffalo with the Ravens in the AFC Divisional Round, and his former teammates and coaches greeted him warmly before and after the game. He played a minor role in the game.
The Bills have, for a long time, kept the door open for players to return to the team after they’ve departed. After longtime safety Micah Hyde considered retiring last year, the Bills kept an open invitation for him in the event he wanted to return. He joined their practice squad in December.
White will enter a cornerback room in search of a second starter to pair with top cornerback Christian Benford.
Does this change the Bills’ draft plans?
White’s addition to the roster likely doesn’t alter how the team approaches the 2025 NFL Draft. With the contract being a short-term agreement, it’s more about insurance for the upcoming season, above all else. The key words in the reporting of his deal are “up to” $6.8 million, which often insinuates a hefty amount of incentives on the contract. Usually, many of those incentives do not immediately count against the cap.
White has a big name due to his reputation in Buffalo, but it should not and likely does not mean he is promised a starting position. His level of play in 2024 was below the playing standard he showed in Buffalo, which ultimately led to his benching in Los Angeles, the subsequent trade and settling into a depth role with the Ravens last year.
If the Bills were to draft a cornerback within the first two rounds next week, there remains a distinct possibility that a rookie player can win the job in 2025, regardless of White’s presence. White is likely a trustworthy option for Buffalo to turn to if he wins the job, the same as veteran cornerback Dane Jackson, who also returned to the Bills this offseason.
Drafting a cornerback at No. 30 likely remains a large consideration for the Bills next Thursday.
(Photo: Jayne Kamin-Oncea / Imagn Images)
