EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. – Tre’Davious White made the 5-yard tackle for loss on Breece Hall, put the Jets running back on the ground, and then, he kept running. White faced the south endzone of MetLife Stadium, flexed and yelled to the crowd. He had every reason to.
“Oh, well, it was my first play being made back in Bills’ blue,” White said after the game. “So, it's something to (expletive) celebrate.”
Buffalo Bills defensive back Tre'Davious White (27) celebrates a tackle on New York Jets running back Breece Hall during the first half at MetLife Stadium on Sunday, Sept. 14, 2025.
Harry Scull Jr./Buffalo News
On Sunday, White made his return to the field for the Bills, the team that drafted him and the team he rejoined this offseason after a one-year hiatus with the Rams and Ravens.
White missed last week’s season opener with a groin injury that he suffered Aug. 21. He was questionable for this game – a 30-10 win over the New York Jets – as well, but come Sunday, he was able to go.
White did finish the day in the third quarter. The Bills eventually rested a few defensive starters, but the plan was always to keep an eye on White’s snap count.
“We had talked about making sure that we were watching him because he's been out for two or three weeks here, give or take,” coach Sean McDermott said after the game. “And just being smart with him. And that's the way the game unfolded as well.”
White was understanding of the plan.
“So, coaches (made) sure they were being smart with me, (made) sure I was communicating with them, too,” White said. “The game was pretty much at hand. So, just trying to be smart, knowing that I hadn't really practiced in three weeks. Didn't want to sort of overdo it, knowing that I got a game Thursday. So, being smart.”
White had three tackles Sunday, including the one for loss. The next play, on second down, Bills defensive linemen Zion Logue and Greg Rousseau sacked Jets quarterback Justin Fields, and two plays later, the Jets punted.
The Bills defense was dominant all day, holding the Jets to just 154 net yards, and just 54 net passing yards. White was not tested often. But even before the final score and final stats, White was having a wonderful day.
“It felt great, felt amazing,” White said. “To be back in Bills blue with my brothers, guys that I really respect and really care for – it’s nothing short of amazing.
“Been a great journey, a year coming full circle, man. And I really enjoyed it. I had a lot of fun. And I'm just so happy and thankful that I was able to walk off the field.”
In 2023, White tore his Achilles in Week 4. Seven-hundred-and-fourteen days after he last took the field with the Bills, White will push back on the idea that it’s a comeback, or at least on the terminology.
“I don't think it's a comeback,” he said. “I just say, ‘I'm back.’ So, that's my side of whenever somebody says a comeback, I just say ‘I'm back.’ But I'm back home, like I told you guys months ago, it just feels right. And I play my best in Bills’ blue, and I'm a firm believer in that.”
His teammates are glad to see him back in blue as well.
“It was beautiful, watching him chase balls down and just watching him smile,” said left tackle Dion Dawkins, who was in White’s draft class. “And it was pretty cool to see a guy back in action. … I think it’s nice for a guy to be able to come back to a program and just jump back in, almost like he never left. It just shows why Buffalo is so special. Like, you can’t do that no other place.”
On the defensive side of things, linebacker Terrel Bernard knows the value the veteran cornerback can bring.
“He’s a guy that we all count on and depend on,” Bernard said. “To have him out there making plays, it was fun to see.”
“There’s no words to explain Tre,” added defensive end A.J. Epenesa. “We love him as a human being, as a football player. And just to see him back out on the field right where he belongs, it’s comforting.”
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