Wednesday was a culling day for the Buffalo Bills as the NFL franchise cut a litany of players, most notably defensive backs Tre’Davious White and Jordan Poyer, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter.
The Bills cut White and Poyer alongside center Mitch Morse, cornerback Siran Neal, wide receiver Deonte Harty and running back Nyheim Hines, per Schefter.
The moves save them $25.96 million in cap space now and another $10.2 million in June, when White’s release will become official, according to Schefter.
The Bills’ cuts of S Jordan Poyer, C Mitch Morse, CB Siran Neal, WR Deonte Harty, and RB Nyheim Hines will create approximately $25.96M in salary cap space.
Buffalo entered the day $40M over the cap.
The release of Tre’Davious White will open up another $10.2M, but only after… https://t.co/XappVwclC0
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) March 6, 2024
I understand they were massively over the cap, $40 million worth, according to Schefter … but this is overkill. They’re both All-Pros and Pro Bowlers. Poyer earned his first and only All-Pro honor in 2021, with his Pro Bowl selection coming a year later.
White earned a first-team All-Pro in 2019 and a second-team selection in 2020, earning Pro Bowl nods in both years. In 2019 he led the NFL in interceptions with six. (RELATED: Star NFL Tight End Reunites With Former Coach In Sneaky-Good Signing Move)
White did suffer a significant injury last season, tearing his ACL in October. So I could maybe understand wanting to part with him for that reason. But even still, the 29-year-old is young enough to bounce back and has top-three potential.
Now the Bills will basically have to replace their whole secondary. Following a season in which the Kansas City Chiefs bounced them from the playoffs again, this move might indicate a shift in strategy for the front office. Have we seen the end of Buffalo’s four-year run as AFC East champs?