Comeback season: Bills patiently awaiting the return of Tre White

Tre’Davious White should return from injury this year, and when he does, he will be ready to once again serve as the Bills No. 1 cornerback and one of the best in the league.

White tore his ACL on Thanksgiving against the New Orleans Saints and hasn’t seen the field since. He had surgery on December 15, 2021. The average timetable for returning from an ACL tear is about 11 months, but White didn’t just tear his ACL, he also damaged his meniscus.

While it’s not impossible to rule out White for the Bills season opener against the Rams, I think Buffalo would be wise to play it safe. He will be much more valuable to them towards the end of the season and into the playoffs than he would be in the beginning of the year. The Bills want him fully healthy and ready to go, while limiting the risk of a setback.

If the Bills wanted to play it safe with him, they could wait until after their Week 7 bye to activate him and begin the year with him on the PUP list.

If White did return in Week 8 against the Green Bay Packers, that would give him nearly 10.5 months since his injury. That should be more than enough time for him to fully heal and be back just in time to square off against Aaron Rodgers and company.

If White misses the first several weeks of the season, that would put a lot of added pressure on first-round pick Kaiir Elam to step up and lock down half of the field. While Elam should be more than capable of doing this, he’s still a rookie and would be filling very big shoes. Last week, All-Pro safety Micah Hyde said that Elam reminds him of what White looked like as a rookie, which shows you the potential and work ethic of Elam.

This week, Hyde had words of positivity regarding White’s situation, saying he’d bet on White coming back as a better version of himself in a video conference with WGR 550 Radio.

“I’ve been fortunate enough to see some of the stuff he’s been doing,” said Hyde regarding White’s recovery. “He’s working. He’s working his a** off. I know I’ll put every single penny I have on Tre’Davious coming back a better player.. I’m that confident in him.”

White has been a huge part of the defense’s success in recent years and he will continue to be an important factor of their success moving forward. I think we can expect White to pick up right where he left off last season. Opposing QBs completed only around 50% of passes against White and he did not allow a single TD over the entire 11 games he played last year – similar numbers to his All-Pro season in 2019.

If the Bills are going to be making a postseason run this year and go for a Super Bowl, then White is going to be a crucial part of that journey. The cornerback position is highly valuable, especially going against high-flying offenses in the AFC such as the Chiefs, Chargers, Bengals, etc.

Like Hyde, I’m willing to put my money on White having a bounce back year and picking up right where he left off. Not only is he physically gifted, but he’s also very intelligent. He knows the schemes and knows how to play receivers in different situations. His ACL might’ve been damaged, but his intelligence and energy that he brings as a football player still remain.

The locker room misses his presence with his glowing and positive personality, and once he does step back out onto the field with his teammates, you can bet that everyone around him is going to be playing up to their highest potential.

Let me know in the comments your thoughts on White and if he can come and perform as the player we know him to be. Follow me on twitter at @am_star5 to keep the conversation going. Go Bills!