PITTSFORD 鈥 Tre鈥橠avious White skips and gallops and prances onto the field. His legs are back, and so is his personality. The Buffalo Bills cornerback has returned to the team, and in his first week back at training camp, his emotions are on display.
After years of working through injuries in Western New York, then after a year away once released by the Bills in March 2024, White is back, and his joy radiates as he takes the field at St. John Fisher University each day.
And it doesn鈥檛 stop when practice ends. On Wednesday, the first day of camp, left tackle Dion Dawkins鈥 three kids raced up to White, yelling 鈥淯ncle Tre! Uncle Tre!鈥 on the approach.
Dawkins, who was drafted by the Bills the same year as White, has a unique perspective on White鈥檚 journey. White started last season with the Los Angeles Rams and finished with the Baltimore Ravens, his season ended at the hands of the Bills in Orchard Park.
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鈥淭re went away to Grandma鈥檚 house, and now he鈥檚 come back, right?鈥 Dawkins said Thursday. 鈥淪o, he鈥檚 back home. He鈥檚 back where his family loves him and treats him exactly how he wants to be treated, and we accept Tre for who he truly is.鈥
It鈥檚 one thing to be loved at your best. Now entering Year 9, White knows what it鈥檚 like to feel the love from his teammates and fans at the top. But the support wasn鈥檛 conditional.
鈥淕uys have seen me at my highs and at my lowest,鈥 White told The Buffalo News. 鈥淭hey鈥檝e seen me running and jumping. They鈥檝e seen me crawling and in a wheelchair, on a scooter, without being able to walk.鈥
The return isn鈥檛 just a feel-good story. White has been getting plenty of reps with the starters this camp. As he runs with the starters, he keeps his eyes on what鈥檚 at stake.
鈥淚鈥檓 here. So, I鈥檓 here to compete,鈥 White said. 鈥淚鈥檓 here to play, because I put a lot of hard work in to rebuilding my body and doing things.
鈥淪o, if I鈥檓 going to work hard, I鈥檓 here to earn a job. So, that鈥檚 goal No. 1, is to continue to do the things I鈥檓 doing, to put myself in a position to showcase my best talents.鈥
Coaches who have known White for years are taking notice.
鈥淭re鈥檚 on a mission right now,鈥 defensive coordinator Bobby Babich said. 鈥淭re鈥檚 on a mission.鈥
White put it bluntly: No one should be surprised if he鈥檚 the Week 1 starter.
鈥淚 put a lot of (expletive) hard work in,鈥 White said.
The injuries are behind him, he says. And White finally had a full offseason to get ready, and it went well. He was able to work on his whole body, not just rehab one part.
鈥淚 get my confidence from my offseason work,鈥 he said.
White鈥檚 goal to start for the Bills, though, hasn鈥檛 prevented him from mentoring his competition. Between snaps, look for him to go over plays with rookie cornerback Maxwell Hairston, the Bills鈥 first-round pick of the 2025 draft.
Hairston has looked up to White for years before the rookie got to the league. When they both ended up in Buffalo, White made it clear early that he was here to help.
鈥淚 told him when I first met him, I was like, 鈥楳an, I鈥檓 gonna give you everything I got,鈥欌 White said. 鈥溾楤ut it鈥檚 gonna be on you to go through the growing pains at this position.鈥欌
Babich said that even when White was gone for a year, his impact lived on in the Bills locker room through the younger cornerbacks he had mentored, like Christian Benford. Benford passed along advice he had gotten from White, all the way up until the veteran returned to give it himself.
鈥淚t鈥檚 crazy, cause it鈥檚 like, 鈥楧ang bro, I was just talking about you,鈥欌 Benford said. 鈥溾 But it was awesome, it was a blessing. I love brodie, that鈥檚 like my brother. He鈥檚 a lot, but I鈥檓 cool with that. 鈥 It鈥檚 a blessing to have bro back again.鈥
White wasn鈥檛 always wired this way, to pay it forward. When he first came into the league, his goals were a little more individually focused. But as he reached benchmark after benchmark, he began to realize the importance of pouring into others.
鈥淚t鈥檚 been like that for me in my career since, like, my fourth year 鈥 because I came in with the mindset, I want to do this, I want to go Pro Bowl, I want to go All-Pro, I want to do all those things,鈥 White said. 鈥淎nd I was able to accomplish all those things.
鈥淏ut then once I accomplished all those things, I look back at it and I鈥檓 like, what else is there to do? So it鈥檚 like, now, like, my mindset is totally switched. Those things are great. But in the grand scheme of things, when I hang up my cleats, my shoulder pads and my helmet, I want my teammates to say that was a great guy, great teammate, and he brought it every day, and he had a great energy about it. That鈥檚 all I care about: how my peers see me, and what are they going to tell their kids?鈥
What his teammates will tell their kids is already on display at camp. Just ask Dawkins.
鈥淯ncle Tre is back.鈥
