The Buffalo Bills used their first-round draft pick on cornerback Maxwell Hairston and brought veteran Tre’Davious White back in free agency, but may need to dip deep into the depth chart to find a starter for Sunday’s season opener.
Hairston and White both suffered injuries in training camp, with the rookie already placed on injured reserve. Though there was a chance White could take the field for the team’s Week 1 game against the Baltimore Ravens, the final injury update now makes it appear unlikely.
Tre’Davious White Likely Out
The Bills announced their final injury list on Friday, listing the cornerback White as doubtful for Sunday’s game.
Bills head coach Sean McDermott said White simply needed more time to recover from the knee injury that has kept him out since August.
“Tre’s usually got a great mindset going and energetic. He loves playing in front of our fans, so it’s important to him to get himself ready,” McDermott said.
The Bills did get a glimmer of good news, with starting cornerback Christian Benford off the injury report after being limited at practice on Wednesday. Benford had practiced in full on Thursday and Friday, putting him on track to play against the Ravens barring any unforeseen setbacks.
White returned to the Bills this offseason after spending the 2024 season with the Los Angeles Rams and Baltimore Ravens. He came into the NFL as a first-round pick of the Bills in 2017, growing into an All-Pro cornerback and foundational piece of a defense that helped turn the team into a Super Bowl contender.
The Bills had parted ways with White in March 2024 in a cap-cutting move, but general manager Brandon Beane brought him back as a free agent for the coming season.
With both White and Hairston out, the Bills are expected to turn to rookie cornerback Dorian Strong as the starter opposite Benford. Bills defensive coordinator Bobby Babich said the team is confident in Strong, who showed tremendous growth during training camp.
“Dorian, the improvement over the last two weeks has been unbelievable,” Babich said, via SI.com.
Babich noted that Strong has grown in confidence as he’s gotten more time with the first-string defense.
“It’s a confidence thing,” said Babich. “When you first get in the league, you’re trying to fit in and see how you fit in. You’re trying to learn a new scheme, you’re trying to learn all of these things.”
Another Bills Defensive Back Returns
While White is not expected to play on Sunday, starting safety Cole Bishop appears to have recovered from a quad injury in time to take the field.
Bishop is slated to start alongside veteran safety Taylor Rapp.
“Cole, like I mentioned before, is continuing to grow, and we see growth every day,” head coach Sean McDermott told reporters this week. “He goes through new experiences, and then playing with T-Rapp back there in the tandem, that you have to be and become, is important, and you learn from each other. Obviously, Cole is learning probably a little bit more from T-Rapp than the other way around.”
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