2. Tre’Davious White, Buffalo Bills
Last December, I did a tape piece in which I tried to discern who was the NFL’s best cornerback — New England’s Stephon Gilmore, or Buffalo’s Tre’Davious White? The differences between the two as far as overall excellence were tough; these are the two best at their position in the NFL. But White’s attributes in zone coverage were made abundantly clear:
White is slightly less aggressive, and perhaps more of a technician. His backpedal is a thing of beauty, which allows him to play off coverage more effectively. Few if any cornerbacks play bail coverage better — White has a supernatural ability to track the backfield with his eyes while keeping up with the most difficult routes and most talented receivers. He showed this with his first interception against the Steelers, covering speed receiver James Washington downfield. If you want to draw up a zone cornerback and all that is required from the position, White is as close to the paradigm as you’ll find in the league today.
The Bills played zone on 57% of their snaps last season, and whenever they did, White put on a clinic — which is why I believe him to be the NFL’s best cornerback in zone coverage. There, he allowed 25 receptions on 43 targets for 325 yards, no touchdowns, five interceptions, and a Positive Play Rate of 48.8%. But in man coverage, he was just as effective — he gave up 15 catches on 35 targets for 132 yards, no touchdowns, one interception, and a Positive Play Rate of 31.4%, which was third-best in the NFL.
Were it not for the presence of Stephon Gilmore, who White replaced as Buffalo’s top cornerback before Gilmore moved on in free agency to the Patriots, we’d be talking about Tre’Davious White as the NFL’s best cornerback. We may do so anyway before too much more time has elapsed.
Tre'Davious White should take up ballroom dancing. This footwork is just obnoxiously good. pic.twitter.com/McFoqhDRay
— Doug Farrar (@NFL_DougFarrar) July 13, 2020