Buffalo Bills sign QB Mike White to active roster, contract extension

In a corresponding move, Buffalo released linebacker Nicholas Morrow.

On Friday morning, the Buffalo Bills announced the signing of quarterback Mike White to their active roster, releasing linebacker Nicholas Morrow in a corresponding move. The signing comes before the Bills head to Foxborough, MA on Saturday to finish the 2024 NFL season against the New England Patriots Sunday afternoon.

This past Monday, Bills head coach Sean McDermott said that quarterback Josh Allen will start Week 18’s game but that his time on the field will be very limited. Buffalo already locked in their position for the playoffs (the two seed) and the only thing on the line Sunday is Allen’s consecutive start streak (currently at 114 games).

White has seven career starts in the NFL — all with the New York Jets — over a span of two seasons. The 29-year-old quarterback also appeared in six games for the Miami Dolphins last season. White has 196 completions for 2,219 yards and nine touchdowns over his three-year career. He’s also thrown 13 interceptions, been sacked 13 times, and had three fumbles during that time.

Buffalo has only carried two quarterbacks — Allen and Mitch Trubisky — on their active roster throughout the season, and White was activated twice (Weeks 13 and 15) as more of a “reward for good work” in the form of a game-day check than a need for a third quarterback. If the Bills didn’t add a third quarterback for Week 18, they ran the risk of Trubisky getting injured and then having to put Allen back in the game. The plan has always been to rest Allen and several key starters to increase their availability for the postseason. Injuries in Week 18 could be detrimental to a postseason run.

In his pre-practice session with the media, McDermott said that signing Mike White to the active roster was a move that would extend beyond Week 18. The Bills’ head coach said the team felt that having an emergency quarterback for the playoffs was a move they wanted to make.

As a result, it’s being reported by ESPN senior NFL insider Adam Schefter that the White has signed a one-year contract that will extend through the 2025 season.

While White could have been elevated one more time, adding him to the active roster leaves the Bills with the ability to elevate two more players in Week 18. The question will be which players. While McDermott has said that he’s prioritizing rest, he also said he was using the season’s final game to evaluate “other guys.” Buffalo only has one wide receiver with any eligibility left on their practice squad (K.J. Hamler). However, they have one running back (Frank Gore Jr.), two offensive lineman (Will Clapp and Mike Edwards), and a host of defensive players to choose from.

As for Nicholas Morrow, he was on his second stint of the season with Buffalo. Morrow started the season with the Bills but was released in early December when the team had to make room for both Matt Milano and Baylon Spector who had been on Injured Reserve (IR). However, Spector was sent back to IR after just two weeks and Morrow was brought back to fill a void at linebacker as Milano missed a game with a groin injury as well.

The Bills’ active linebackers now include Matt Milano, Terrel Bernard (who will not play in Week 18 according to McDermott), Dorian Williams, and rookies Joe Andreessen and Edefuan Ulofoshio.