Nine months after tearing his ACL, Tre'Davious White still isn't ready to return to the field. And he won't be for a while. As part of their cutdown to a 53-man roster Tuesday, the Bills have placed the star cornerback on the Physically Unable to Perform (PUP) list, guaranteeing he'll miss at least the first four games of the 2022 season.
A 2019 All-Pro, the 27-year-old White hasn't suited up since suffering his season-ending knee injury last Thanksgiving, spending all summer in rehab. While the No. 1 cover man has been working with strength and conditioning staff behind the scenes, per New York's Democrat & Chronicle, he now won't be eligible to begin practicing with the team until after Week 4.
Players who open the regular season on PUP have 21 days to be activated to the 53-man roster once designated to return. Coach Sean McDermott, when asked previously how much preparation White would require to make his game-day debut, said that every player is different, suggesting the veteran cornerback would return sooner rather than later once designated to come off PUP.
In White's absence, the Bills are expected to lean on veteran Taron Johnson, second-year starter Dane Jackson and rookie first-rounder Kaiir Elam at corner. This offseason the team also re-signed special teams ace Siran Neal, who saw increased defensive snaps in 2021 and could be in for a larger role.
When healthy, White has been one of the NFL's top players at his position. The two-time Pro Bowler led the league with six interceptions in 2019 and has logged at least 10 pass deflections three different times.
