Getty Former Bears general manager Ryan Pace's first overall draft pick, Kevin White, has been demoted yet again.
Former Chicago Bears first-round wide receiver Kevin White has been demoted to the New Orlean Saints’ practice squad after struggling to stand out on their active roster over the past month of the 2022 regular season.
According to the NFL’s transaction wire, the Saints waived White from their 53-man roster ahead of their Monday Night Football matchup with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and re-signed him to their practice squad on Wednesday, December 7. The 30-year-old receiver had initially begun the season on New Orleans’ practice squad, but he was elevated to the game-day roster three times in October and eventually earned an active-roster contract on November 7.
Unfortunately, White’s biggest moment for the Saints — a 64-yard reception in Week 7’s loss to the Arizona Cardinals — came during one of his elevation opportunities, while his production since his promotion to the active roster has been nearly nonexistent. He caught just one of three targets for 10 yards after getting signed up and, over his final two performances, ran just five total routes for the Saints, foreshadowing his demotion.
White will not be eligible to play again for the Saints via practice-squad promotion, as he has already used all three of his allotted elevations and does not receive new ones despite spending a period of time on the team’s active roster.
White Was Ryan Pace’s First-Ever Draft Pick for Chicago
White was the first draft pick that Ryan Pace made during his previous tenure as the Bears’ general manager, selecting him at No. 7 overall in the 2015 NFL draft. The former West Virginia standout, however, missed his entire rookie season with a leg injury and ended up playing just 14 total games over his four seasons in Chicago due to injuries. By the time his fifth-year option decision rolled around, the Bears had decided they had seen enough and allowed White to sign with the Arizona Cardinals in 2019 free agency.
Unfortunately for White, things have not improved for him since leaving Chicago. He didn’t even make it to the end of 2019 training camp before the Cardinals decided not to move forward with him, prompting him to sit out for the entire 2019 season. He did return to sign with the San Francisco 49ers in 2020 and appeared in three games, but he did not record a catch and was primarily a practice-squad player for them.
White finally got his chance to play receiver again partway through the 2021 season and made his first reception in nearly three years — a 38-yarder — for the Saints against the Buccaneers in Week 8. He did not catch another one on the year, though, and has since then only made two more receptions between his 2021 and 2022 performances.
How Will Ryan Poles Use His First Bears First-Round Pick?
While White was far from the only disappointing draft pick that Pace made for the Bears during his seven seasons in charge, fans in Chicago have turned their attention to the future and are eagerly awaiting to see how their new general manager — Ryan Poles — makes use of his first first-round pick since taking over for the Bears last offseason.
The Bears did not have a first-round pick in 2022 due to what might turn out to be the best decision in Pace’s entire tenure, which was trading up to No. 11 overall in the 2021 NFL draft to land quarterback Justin Fields. Poles will get the chance to participate in the first round in 2023, though, with the Bears currently projected to have the No. 2 overall pick that could net them a foundational talent or present valuable opportunities to trade down for more assets.
Assuming the Bears finish with the No. 2 overall pick and decide to use it on a player, the top two candidates at the moment at Alabama edge rusher Will Anderson Jr. or Georgia defensive tackle Jalen Carter. Both players have massive skill ceilings and would add premier rookie talents to the area where the Bears need the most help: defense. At the same time, it is easy to see why Poles might be incentivized to trade down for more picks given how many roster needs they will have for Year 2 of their rebuild.
If the Bears decide to trade down from No. 2, look for them to target a team with multiple first-round picks or in desperate need for a quarterback. The Detroit Lions might make sense considering they have two 2023 first-rounders, but they are also currently projected to finish with the No. 4 overall pick and might not feel it is necessary to move up for a quarterback even if they intend to get one. Instead, the Bears could be better served dealing with a team looking to leapfrog the Lions for someone like C.J. Stroud or Bryce Young — whichever one doesn’t end up in Houston at No. 1 overall.
Some of the first-round talents that could appeal to the Bears in a trade-down situation include Clemson edge rusher Myles Murphy, TCU wide receiver Quentin Johnston or one of the two top-level offensive tackles, Northwestern’s Peter Skoronski or Ohio State’s Paris Johnson Jr.