Les Snead reveals what went wrong with Tre'Davious White's Rams tenure
When Sean McVay effectively announced that Tre'Davious White was going to be moved before the 2024 NFL trade deadline, it marked a disappointing end to a tenure that began very promisingly.
Signed to a one-year, prove-it deal after being released by the Buffalo Bills, fans thought the Rams secured a steal and would be able to field a very good secondary rounded out by Colbie Durant and Darious Williams on par with their Super Bowl run a few years prior.
Fortunately, the Rams' defensive secondary does look surprisingly good, as they have allowed less than 250 passing yards in four of their last five games. But that change has only come since White hit the bench , as he looked like a serious liability to start the year.
What happened? Did White come back too early from his knee injury? Or did he simply not fit Chris Schula's scheme? Well, after the deal was done, Les Snead decided to address what went wrong head-on, celebrating White's professionalism even if it didn't ultimately work out.
Les Snead wishes Tre'Davious White well after Rams exit
Asked if things would have shaken out with White differently had he been afforded a few weeks to get healthy instead of starting right away in Week 1, Snead laid out his perspective and why he was so willing to work with the CB on a deal that let him continue to play meaningful football .
"I don't think we've really sat down and said, 'Would you have done anything different?' I think as it evolved and 'Tre' was inactive, a lot of it had to do with... we had players get healthy, and then you get into special teams or not. I think really what it came down to is 'Tre' is such a great human and a great professional," Snead told reporters.
"He wanted to play football, and we just traded him [to give him that opportunity]. All of you on this call know that next week, we could have two corners go down, and maybe who we elevate doesn't provide what 'Tre' does, but I do think from the human side of this business, we wanted to try to come up with a win-win for us and for 'Tre' as it sits right now. Obviously, we could have kept him in case of an emergency, in terms of an insurance policy, but I do think because of our relationship with him, we wanted to try to come up with a win-win. In this case, Baltimore needs a veteran to come in, help them, and get on the grass."
What could have been, what could have been.
Ultimately, the Rams wanted to strengthen their secondary and add multiple new high-profile players to their starting lineup ahead of the 2024 NFL season. In a way, that happened with players like Kam Curl and Williams. Factor in elevations by Durant and Quentin Lake, plus the emergence of Jaylen McCollough, and the decision to move White, who, again, wasn't playing, shouldn't impact that team's success moving forward.
