Days before the Bills’ return trip to Kansas City, the defender they sorely missed during their playoff trek to Missouri is back at practice. The Bills are designating Tre’Davious White for return.
That said, Sean McDermott ended suspense about the veteran cornerback’s status for the Chiefs matchup. White will not play Sunday, but his activation clock will start Wednesday. The Bills will have three weeks to activate their top cover man, or he reverts to season-ending IR. Although it will not lead to White facing off against the Chiefs, this transaction almost certainly means his return is not far off.
White has been out since sustaining an ACL tear on Thanksgiving last year. The Bills managed to end the 2021 season with the league’s No. 1 defense, but the team could not stop the Chiefs’ explosive offense in an overtime divisional-round defeat. The team moved White from the active/PUP list to the reserve/PUP list after training camp, remaining cautious with their highly paid corner.
Buffalo’s defense has mostly fared well sans White to start the season. The team let Levi Wallace walk in free agency but used a first-round pick on Kaiir Elam. Despite facing the Rams, Dolphins and Eagles, the Bills rank first in scoring defense and second in yards allowed. The Chiefs should be expected to provide another stiff test, however.
The Bills have used Dane Jackson as their primary outside starter opposite Elam, who moved into the starting lineup in Week 3. Jackson, who was carted off during Buffalo’s Week 2 win over Tennessee, returned to action after missing just one game. Although safety Micah Hyde is out for the season, Taron Johnson remains in place as the team’s slot cornerback.
The Bills did not face the Eagles this season – @Sam are you thinking of the Ravens? Regardless, Tre coming back will be huge if he’s close to 100%.