Buffalo Bills Release Pair of Pro Bowl Defensive Backs

The Buffalo Bills are feeling the salary cap crunch. According to ESPN's Adam Schefter, the Bills are parting ways with several key veterans today, including two-time Pro Bowl cornerback Tre'Davious White and All-Pro safety Jordan Poyer.

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

The Bills also cut center Mitch Morse, cornerback Siran Neal, wide receiver Deonte Harty, and running back Nyheim Hines, clearing nearly $26 million in cap space. The Bills entered Wednesday $40 million over the NFL's $255.4 million salary cap.

White was once one of the NFL's very best and most promising defensive players. Injuries have kept him to only 21 total games over his last three seasons. When available, he remains a headache for opposing passers and wide receivers: he hasn't allowed a passer rating over 75.8 on throws in his direction in any season since 2020.

White's unreliability made him an obvious cut candidate, but Poyer's release speaks to just how dire the Bills' cap situation was and remains: he started 16 games for them last year and earned a Pro Bowl as recently as 2022. Even at 32 years old, he can be an asset to any team looking for veteran leadership.

The Bills have consistently fielded one of the NFL's best rosters in recent years: They've finished in the top six for points scored in four straight seasons and top five for points allowed in four of the past five seasons. Unfortunately, you can't pay everyone. If the Bills are going to continue their recent streak of dominance, they'll need to replenish themselves with some cheap talent through the draft.