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Heading into the 2023 NFL season, NFL executives don’t think Buffalo Bills cornerback Tre’Davious White is among the best of the best anymore.
ESPN is citing personnel across the NFL – from players to coaches and executives – and going position-by-position to rank the top 10 players at each spot on the field. With cornerback up, White landed as an “honorable mention.”
NFL insider Jeremy Fowler has run this exact poll on an annual basis. In the past, White has been considered as high as the third-best cornerback in the league. But that was in 2020. The biggest difference maker since then is White’s serious knee injury he sustained in 2021.
In naming White as an honorable mention, here’s the breakdown ESPN received on his game:
Tre’Davious White, Buffalo Bills: “I feel for him because he’s been so good for so long but he hasn’t looked right coming off that knee injury,” an AFC scout said of White. “He was never the most explosive athlete so any loss of burst hurts. But he’s one of the most technically sound corners in the league, and hopefully this year he’s more comfortable on the knee.”
The 2023 season could be a big year for White to change the trajectory of his career.
He’s still the Bills’ best cornerback. However, this upcoming year could be the season we see the true White, post-knee injury.
White originally tore his ACL on Thanksgiving Day in 2021. While players typically can get back on the field within a year of surgery, it took White that entire amount of time to get back on the field. He returned on Thanksgiving in 2022.
In terms of full recovery, it’s generally agreed a player won’t be back to 100 percent from such a serious injury until two seasons later. That year is this upcoming season for White so there could be a huge bounce-back effort on the horizon.
For those curious, here’s how NFL executives ranked the top-10 cornerbacks ahead of White in 2023:
- Pat Surtain II, Denver Broncos
- Sauce Gardner, New York Jets
- Jalen Ramsey, Miami Dolphins
- Jaire Alexander, Green Bay Packers
- Darius Slay, Philadelphia Eagles
- Marlon Humphrey, Baltimore Ravens
- Marshon Lattimore, New Orleans Saints
- Trevon Diggs, Dallas Cowboys
- Denzel Ward, Cleveland Browns
- A.J. Terrell, Atlanta Falcons
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