Star Cornerback’s Future Uncertain as Rams Explore…
Tre’Davious White was a key member of the Rams’ secondary early in the year, but he has been a healthy scratch for each of the past three games. The veteran corner could soon be on the move as a result.
White and the Rams are discussing their future, ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler reports. A trade is one potential outcome in this instance, although the team is also open to retaining him. As Los Angeles knows (like all other teams), attrition throughout the season could lead to injuries elsewhere on the CB depth chart. That could thrust White back into the first-team role he held for the first four weeks of the year.
As Jourdan Rodrigue of The Athletic notes, the Rams indicated upon signing White that he would not be tasked with a heavy workload right away, although that is what wound up happening. The former Bills All-Pro handled a 98% defensive snap share during Weeks 1-4 before falling out of the gameday lineup altogether. White surrendered four touchdowns and a 138.4 passer rating in coverage, something which has no doubt played a role in his lack of usage over the past three contests.
Those struggles in coverage could hinder White’s trade value, although the 29-year-old is a pending free agent. He inked a one-year pact on the open market with a base value of $4.25M. Incentives are also in place with that pact, though, and logging a 60% snap share with the Rams would trigger additional compensation. Any acquiring team would take on the prorated remainder of a $1.5M base salary, something which would be a feasible task for contenders.
White was among the league’s top corners during the first five years of his Buffalo tenure. Injuries have stalled his career, however, and between 2022 and ’23 he played only 10 games. The LSU product managed to recover from the Achilles tear he suffered last October in time for the start of the season, although his poor coverage showing will lead to questions about his ability to return to his pre-injury form.
The Rams have Darious Williams back after his IR stint, along with Cobie Durant and Ahkello Witherspoon in place at the cornerback spot. Missed time from any member of that trio could lead White back into the lineup, but if a strong enough trade market emerges it will be interesting to see if the team prefers to move on.
