Tre’Davious White tears ACL, out for 2021 season

The Buffalo Bills have lost one of their most indispensable players following Thursday night’s win over the New Orleans Saints. All-Pro cornerback Tre’Davious White left the game in the second quarter and did not return. The team announced Friday that he tore his ACL and is done for the season.

White was having another very good season for the Bills and was well on his way to his third straight Pro Bowl. He was a first-team All-Pro in 2019 and made the second team in 2020.

Coming in for White was Dane Jackson, a 2020 seventh-round pick, who competed with but lost to Levi Wallace on the other side. Beyond him, the Bills don’t have a lot of options. Siran Neal is a converted safety who mostly plays special teams. Cam Lewis has played almost exclusively at the slot position, but theoretically he or Taron Johnson could kick outside. The New York Jets signed 2021 draft picks Rachad Wildgoose off Buffalo’s practice squad earlier this month.

It’s probably likely Buffalo will hit up a free agent or two over their mini-bye these next couple days.

That’s what made him so irreplaceable. Buffalo didn’t have the depth at outside cornerback. In addition to just a numbers game, he was able to wipe away opponents’ top receivers and allow the safeties to cheat to the other side a little. This is going to fundamentally change how the Bills’ defense operates.