Tre'Davious White turning heads with recent performance for Buffalo Bills' secondary

Tre’Davious White took plenty of slings and arrows during the early portion of the Buffalo Bills' regular season.

At the outset of the 2025 campaign, White appeared old, slow, and a step behind opposing wide receivers as he was trotted out as the team’s starter with rookie Maxwell Hairston on Injured Reserve.

But in recent weeks, appearing fully recovered from a preseason groin injury, White has flipped the early-season narratives on their heads while turning in much-improved performances week after week.

Oct 5, 2025; Orchard Park, New York, USA; Buffalo Bills cornerback Tre'Davious White (27) reacts against the New England Patriots during the first half at Highmark Stadium. | Mark Konezny-Imagn Images

Flipped the script

Over his first five games of the season, White allowed 11 receptions for 114 yards and a touchdown while being targeted 15 times by opposing quarterbacks. But since Week 8, White has allowed just two receptions for 20 yards while being targeted 11 times, per NFL Pro. This past week against the Steelers, White seemed to be rewarded for his recent efforts with increased playing time, as he was on the field for 20 more defensive snaps than rookie Maxwell Hairston.

“That's my guy, bro,” said Hairston of White while speaking with reporters on Wednesday. “Like somebody I was playing Madden with when I was a kid, and now he’s my teammate. So, just being around him, man. He's a great guy. High energy guy kind of like myself. So, we just feed off each other.”

MORE: Buffalo Bills DC explains CB Hairston's decreased snaps vs. Steelers

All coming together

The Bills’ pass defense as a whole has been strong throughout the second half of the season and currently ranks as the top unit in the NFL in yards passing allowed per game (163.2). Along with White, Christian Benford has displayed improved efforts, while Hairston has recorded a couple of takeaways, and second-year safety Cole Bishop has been a pleasant surprise.

“It's fun just seeing (White and Benford) out there balling like, man, we be on the sideline chopping it up just having fun like we really just enjoying this," added Hairston. "Those are guys that we've gotten close since my first day here, so just really playing now and having success, like, man, we get happy off each other's success, so that was fun."

The Bills also claimed veteran CB Darius Slay on waivers to help bolster their cornerback corps, which has proven to be much more reliable than it initially appeared to begin the year.

As the team enters the stretch run, it will be interesting to see how things shake out within the cornerback room. But as it stands, entering a Week 14 matchup with the Cincinnati Bengals, both Bills’ starting CBs, White and Benford, are trending up at the right time.

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