If Tre'Davious White opts out of NFL season, Buffalo Bills would be significantly downgraded

How optimistic are Buffalo Bills fans for the upcoming NFL season? At William Hill sportsbook, 100 percent of all tickets sold on the Bills' Over/Under win prop are on the Over 9 wins. That's obviously the biggest number of any team (it has been rounded, but still). However, Bills fans likely will be waiting anxiously ahead of the NFL's 4 p.m. ET Thursday deadline for players to opt out of this season because All-Pro Buffalo cornerback Tre'Davious White is considering that option. (UPDATE: White will play this season).

The Bills took White with the No. 27 overall pick in the 2017 draft out of LSU – the pick that Buffalo got for Kansas City for the Chiefs to move up to No. 10 overall and take Patrick Mahomes. White showed immediately he was going to be a good pro as in his rookie season he played all 16 games and had 69 tackles, 18 passes defensed, four interceptions and two fumble recoveries.

White was one of only two players in the league with at least 18 passes defensed, four interceptions and two fumble recoveries. Pro Football Focus gave White an overall grade of 91.6, which ranked third among all qualifying cornerbacks.

In 2018, Buffalo had the No. 1 pass defense in the NFL anchored by White, who had 54 tackles with eight passes defensed and two picks – teams basically wouldn't throw his way.

This past season as the Bills made the playoffs, White was named to the Pro Bowl and first-team All-Pro as he tied for the league in interceptions with six and had a team-high 17 pass breakups. White didn't allow a receiving TD in coverage. He also forced a DeAndre Hopkins fumble in the Wild-Card Game that led to a Bills field goal and a 16-0 lead, although Buffalo would eventually lose 22-19 in OT.

White will earn $1.841 million in base salary this year and the team picked up his fifth-year rookie option worth $10.244 million in 2021. Opting out would delay everything by a year. He is +5000 on the William Hill moneyline odds to win NFL Defensive Player of the Year.

"Honestly I'm still undecided," White told the media Wednesday. "I just wanted to come in and kind of see how it was going to go. How the season was going to go as far as moving around in the locker room, how is the day-to-day operation. Talking it over with my lady and seeing what would be the best decision for my kids too, and that playing a part in it. … No matter what, my family is going to come first."

The SportsLine Projection Model currently forecasts Buffalo for 8.8 wins and 34.6 percent chance of winning the AFC East, but those numbers are both going to drop a significant amount if one of the NFL's top cornerbacks chooses not to play. Buffalo and New England are co-favorites at +125 to win the AFC East -- the Patriots would retake the favored role if White sits. 

Buffalo has had two players opt out thus far: defensive tackle Star Loutlelei and cornerback E.J. Gaines. If White does too, that would mean free-agent addition Josh Norman and Levi Wallace would be the starting corners. Norman graded as one of the worst corners in the league last year with Washington.

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