The Buffalo Bills are a few short weeks away from arriving for training camp in Western New York. Due to the coronavirus pandemic, the preseason festivities will be diminished; the team will not hold their sessions at St. John Fisher College, their training camp location since 2000.
Nevertheless, the aim of the training camp remains the same. The organization must prepare players for the preseason, which depth players will compete in their final battle for a roster spot.
Training camp could hold greater importance this year, as the trimmed down preseason slate leaves fewer opportunities for players to impress the coaching staff.
The Bills Wire will complete a position-by-position analysis of each group on the Bills roster. This edition will focus on the cornerback position:
Players (age)
- Tre’Davious White (25: 4th season)
- Josh Norman (32: 9th season)
- Levi Wallace (25: 3rd season)
- EJ Gaines (28: 6th season)
- Cam Lewis (23: 2nd season)
- Taron Johnson (23: 3rd season)
- Dane Jackson (23: Rookie)
- Ike Brown (22: Rookie)
2019 recap
Tre’Davious White was the story last year. He tied for the league lead with six interceptions. He earned All-Pro and Pro Bowl honors. White’s stats include 58 total tackles, 17 passes defended, and even a sack on the 2019 ledger. Pro Football Focus gave White the fourth-best coverage grade in the league last year, even as the third-year pro habitually was manned up against the opponent’s best wideout. To top it off: he didn’t allow a touchdown his was during the regular season.
Levi Wallace started 16 games opposite White. Wallace totaled 76 tackles and two interceptions. He’s been consistent for the Bills, often an unheralded and underappreciated piece of Buffalo’s defense. Kevin Johnson played as the team’s primary reserve cornerback. However, he was called upon to start the Wild Card matchup against Houston, recording nine tackles in the playoff game because of an injury Wallace suffered in Week 17.
Taron Johnson worked out of the slot for the Bills. He piled up 50 tackles and one sack last year. Siran Neal, primarily a safety, matched up against opponents playing in the team’s “big nickel” packages.
Now here’s a rundown of storylines to follow in this position group:
Can Tre’Davious White keep up his exceptional play?
White is the Bills’ unquestioned No. 1 shutdown cornerback. He took on difficult assignments in stride in 2019. The league finally recognized his contributions.
White is looking at a massive pay day if he keeps up this pace. The Bills already picked up White’s fifth-year option, so the first draft pick of the Sean McDermott era will be around for at least two more years. This gives Buffalo some time to work out a long-term agreement with White.
The challenge for White will be for him to erase the memory of the Wild Card game. The Texans moved wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins out of the slot in the second half, and he put immense pressure on White. Hopkins is exceptional, but for White to continue to be mentioned among the league’s best, he’ll have to shut down the best of the best out wide.