Should the Pittsburgh Steelers pursue CB Tre’Davious White?
The Pittsburgh Steelers need another cornerback, and a former All-Pro is heading for the market after the Buffalo Bills released Tre’Davious White as a post-June designation. White earned All-Pro honors in his third and fourth seasons, but injuries have since derailed his career.
As Dave Bryan recapped yesterday, White tore his ACL in 2021 and then his Achilles in 2023. Due to injuries, he has missed 30 games over the past three years. In four games played last season, he recorded 10 tackles with one for loss, an interception, and two passes defensed.
The Steelers signed Patrick Peterson as a free agent a year ago and drafted Joey Porter Jr. The latter is their clear No. 1 cornerback entering 2024, Peterson’s role—and roster spot—less concrete. Levi Wallace, James Pierre, and Chandon Sullivan are all pending unrestricted free agents on top of everything else.
Despite his resume, White’s injury history and age—now 29—will take a toll on his market value. He signed a four-year, $69 million extension with the Bills in 2020. Buffalo still owed him more than $20 million over the next two seasons.
I think it’s reasonable to assume teams will value him below the numbers he earned in Buffalo. He may not even sign with a team until he is fully healthy, and I don’t know exactly where that lands in the recovery timetable.
Obviously, interest in White needs to be viewed through a risk/benefit analysis. Can the Steelers trust him to play up to a certain level given his injuries? How much are other teams willing to pay to find out the answer to that question?
He’s far from the only cornerback available, certainly. Alex Kozora offered several candidates yesterday, including Sean Murphy-Bunting and Jeff Okudah. There are others such as Kendall Fuller, Shaquille Griffin, and Chidobe Awuzie also hitting the market.
The Steelers’ 2023 season has been put out of its misery, ending as so many have before in recent years: a disappointing, blowout playoff loss. The only change-up lately is when they miss the playoffs altogether. But with the Buffalo Bills stamping them out in the Wild Card Round, they have another long offseason ahead.
The biggest question hanging over the team is the quarterback question. Is Kenny Pickett the guy? Will he get another season’s reprieve without a serious challenge? How will the team address the depth chart? Do they re-sign Mason Rudolph, one of few significant unrestricted free agents?
The Steelers are swirling with more questions this offseason than usual, frankly, though the major free agent list is less substantial than usual. It’s just a matter of…what happens next? Where do they go from here? How do they find the way forward?
