Buffalo Bills injury updates: Tre'Davious White returns to practice, won't play vs Chiefs

ORCHARD PARK - The long-awaited return of Buffalo Bills star cornerback Tre’Davious White finally happened Wednesday afternoon, with one caveat.

White participated in practice with the team for the first time since before Thanksgiving last year, but coach Sean McDermott was quick to point out that he will not play in Sunday’s showdown in Kansas City against the Chiefs.

“His practice window will start today,” McDermott said. “He will not play in the game, but he will be out there today and he’ll play when he is ready at this point.”

Davis, who suffered a torn ACL in the Thanksgiving win in New Orleans, began this season on the physically unable to perform list, which meant he had to sit out at least the first four games.

Last week, when he was eligible to be activated, the Bills held off because they didn’t want to start the 21-day clock on White’s return to the field. When a player comes off PUP, he has three weeks to get ready to play, and if the team doesn’t activate him within that time frame, he must go on the injured reserve list, which would mean at least four more games of sitting out.

With White practicing Wednesday, he will get work in this week, and then can rest when the Bills are on their bye week. When that is done, the next opponent will be the Green Bay Packers on Sunday night, Oct. 28, and it would seem White could be ready for that game.

Though the Bills wouldn’t say it, that was probably the plan all along, rather than trying to rush White back on the field. They need to make sure he’s 100% ready and healthy for the backstretch of the regular season and then obviously for the playoffs.

When he was asked how much White would be doing in practice, McDermott said, “I don’t want to get too far into the details right now, just because first and foremost Tre’s worked extremely hard to get himself back to where he is now.”

Good news on Buffalo Bills injuries

McDermott had more good news on the injury front. Wide receiver Isaiah McKenzie cleared concussion protocol and was able to resume practicing. And everyone else on the team was able to practice in some capacity with the exception of two players: Wide receiver Jake Kumerow who is still battling an ankle injury, and special teamer Taiwan Jones who injured his knee against the Steelers. Two veterans, Von Miller and Rodger Saffold, were given rest days.

That means starters who missed the Steelers game - McKenzie, linebacker Tremaine Edmunds, safety Jordan Poyer, cornerback Christian Benford, and tight end Dawson Knox - were all on the field and probably have a good chance to play against the nemesis Chiefs.

Bills have moved on from 13 seconds

The one topic that will be harped on all week, especially once the national media starts gabbing about the rematch of last year’s AFC divisional playoff classic, is the Bills’ failure in the final 13 seconds of overtime in that game.

But reporters who ask McDermott and the players are sure to be stonewalled because the Bills have put it behind them and really don’t need to dwell on it any further.

Defensive coordinator Leslie Frazier came under fire after the Chiefs’ 42-36 overtime victory because of the defensive calls he made at the end of regulation. Playing soft in coverage, the Bills allowed Patrick Mahomes to complete two passes to Kansas City’s most obvious targets, Tyreek Hill and Travis Kelce, in that fateful 13 seconds that totaled 44 yards and set up Harrison Butker’s tying field goal.

Frazier just smiled when he was asked Monday whether 13 seconds is considered profanity around the facility.

“Not on my part,” he said. “My response would be, ‘Nope, not at all.’”

McDermott reiterated that what happened was unfortunate, but the Bills can’t continue to beat themselves up over something they can’t change and he won’t address the topic this week.

“No, no, I don’t think there’s a need to,” he said. “They’re aware, and this is a new team in a lot of ways, we’ve already shown that this year in a lot of ways, and this team will take on its own identity, as I’ve said before.”

McDermott fully recognized that it’s going to come up during interviews, and he’s certain that Jim Nantz and Tony Romo will ask him about it during the Saturday CBS production meeting in Kansas City.

“Well, I mean, that did happen,” he said. “That’s part of our past on one hand, but it’s also part of our past, right? And so we’re looking ahead to this game. That’s going to happen, people are going to write what they want to write and this team will take on its own identity.

“You’ll learn from things like that and you move forward and you’re not afraid to learn from things and correct things and adjust and evolve. It’s what you do. It’s what you do in life, it’s what you do in a sport like football and you go after it every week trying to put your best foot forward.”

Sal Maiorana can be reached at maiorana@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter @salmaiorana.To subscribe to Sal's new twice-a-week newsletter, Bills Blast, please follow this link: https://profile.democratandchronicle.com/newsletters/bills-blast

This article originally appeared on Rochester Democrat and Chronicle: Buffalo Bills injury list update: Tre’Davious White out vs Chiefs