Former All-Pros Tre'Davious White, Jordan Poyer lead Bills' cap-cutting roster moves

The Buffalo Bills’ salary-cap clearing ahead of the new league year continues with some big-name casualties.

The Bills are releasing cornerback Tre'Davious White, safety Jordan Poyer and center Mitch Morse, NFL Network Insiders Ian Rapoport and Mike Garafolo reported Wednesday, per sources informed of the situation.

Buffalo saved roughly $36.16 million with six significant releases, as defensive back Siran Neal, return specialist Deonte Harty and running back kick Nyheim Hines also were cut. The club saved even more with a restructuring of outside linebacker Von Miller‘s contract. Per Rapoport, Miller’s contract was lowered from a $17.14 million base to $1.5 million plus a $7 million signing bonus ($8.5 million total base). There are also incentives to get Miller back up to his original base and as high as $20 million total. Per Garafolo, Miller’s reworked contract should save Buffalo roughly $9 million on the cap.

White, 29, will be designated as a post-June 1 cut, which will save the team $10.2 million in salary cap space and $6.2 in dead money on a day in which Buffalo made a number of cost-cutting moves. A 2017 first-round pick of Buffalo, White spent seven years with the Bills, earning two Pro Bowl nods and an All-Pro selection in 2019. He was decimated with injuries over the past three years, though, playing in a combined 21 games from 2021-2023, and ended last season with a torn Achilles.

The 32-year-old Poyer had a salary cap figure of $7.72 million in 2024. Releasing the safety saves the Bills $5.72 million on the cap with $2 million in dead money.

Poyer spent the past seven seasons in Buffalo, earning All-Pro honors in 2021 and a Pro Bowl nod in 2022. The multifaceted safety was a reliable ball-hawk on the back end of Sean McDermott’s defense, gobbling up 100-plus tackles in four of seven seasons in Western New York.

Jettisoning a team captain and still-productive playmaker like Poyer is a tough pill to swallow, but not unsurprising given the veteran’s cap figure and the club’s need to get younger and cheaper on that side of the football.

Morse is a slightly more surprising release, given his sturdy play in front of quarterback Josh Hines-Allen. Morse started 77 games in Buffalo over five seasons, earning a Pro Bowl in 2022. While not the best run blocker, Morse remains one of the better pass-protecting centers in the NFL. Turning 32 in April, Morse was due $8.5 million in salary this season, which Buffalo will save on the cap in his release. Morse’s release comes after the Bills agreed to trade backup interior lineman Ryan Bates to Chicago earlier this week.

The Bills plan to move left guard Connor McGovern to center, and backup David Edwards, who inked an extension, is in line to take over a starting guard spot.

Releasing Neal saves the Bills $2.88 million on the cap, while cutting Harty and Hines saves $4.315 million and about $4.6 million, respectively. 

Entering the day, the Bills were roughly $32.5 million over the salary cap, per Over The Cap. All clubs must be in compliance before the new league year opens on March 13.