Pro Bowl Linebacker’s Time Coming To An End In Philly Before It Officially Began
The Eagles' defense has been the talk of the town in Philadelphia to start the 2024 season, especially after the unit’s performance against the Atlanta Falcons in Week 2. Vic Fangio was able to quiet the noise surrounding his defense in Week 3 after an exceptional performance holding the high-scoring New Orleans Saints offense to 12 points in the Superdome en route to a 15-12 Eagles win.
There’s one player who at the time of his signing seemed to be in line for a big role with his new team this season. Devin White has yet to appear in a game for the Eagles after signing a one-year, $4 million contract in free agency. White was the No. 5 overall pick in the 2019 NFL Draft by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and was a captain of their defense. He spent his first five seasons there and was selected to the Pro Bowl in 2021.
The Eagles’ linebackers were a question mark coming into the season. White, third-year player Nakobe Dean, career special teams player Zack Baun, 2023 undrafted free agent Ben VanSumeren, and 2024 fifth-round pick Jeremiah Trotter Jr. all made the initial 53-man roster. White clearly had the most experience and success in the NFL out of that group heading into the season.
White was ruled out of the Eagles’ Week 1 matchup against the Green Bay Packers with an ankle injury. The 26-year-old was a healthy scratch for the previous two weeks. White lost the starting linebacker job to Dean after the preseason and since the veteran doesn’t play special teams, the Eagles have decided to keep him out of the lineup to allow room for other players.
White has had a lot of success in his career which is why many people are shocked that he hasn’t been playing with the Eagles. He has 566 career tackles, 40 tackles for loss, 64 quarterback hits, 23 sacks, six forced fumbles, nine fumble recoveries, three interceptions, 21 passes defended and two career touchdowns. He’s great insurance to have in case of an injury to Dean or Baun, but it doesn’t make sense financially to have a $4 million player not suit up on game days.
There have been rumors that White could be traded to a team looking for linebacker help. If he continues to be inactive on game days and the Eagles can’t find a trade partner, there’s a possibility that he could be released. White was an intriguing signing when it first happened, but his time in Philadelphia might come to an end before playing in a regular season game in midnight green.
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