Heading into Week 1, the Las Vegas Raiders‘ major question is their defense. Can they stop the opposition’s offense, and can Maxx Crosby get any help in the pass rush? Nonetheless, one player is coming in with major confidence.
One of the promising players that the New England Patriots have on offense is running back TreVeyon Henderson. The Ohio State product will be looking to hit the ground running in his rookie season by putting in a positive performance against the Silver and Black.
However, Raiders linebacker Devin White is playfully calling out the rookie as he wants to be the veteran player to welcome him to the NFL.
“I respect his game, but I like us,” White said on September 5 (h/t ESPN’s Ryan McFadden). “Hopefully they use him a lot. Hopefully we get to make a bunch of plays on him so we can show him ‘Welcome to the NFL.’
Devin White Looks to Bounce Back With Raiders
After veterans Robert Spillane and Divine Deablo departed in free agency, the Raiders reshaped their linebacker unit by bringing in multiple experienced players like White.
The veteran is entering his seventh season in the NFL, spending his first five with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and last campaign with the Houston Texans. Nonetheless, the Raiders are hoping that White finds his form from 2020 to 2022.
In each of those three seasons, White recorded 100-plus tackles. Moreover, he added 9.5 sacks in 2020 and 5.5 sacks in 2022. This version of White will be a major X-factor for the Raiders, who are looking for go-to players outside of Maxx Crosby.
If wanting to welcome the Patriots’ rookie is one way to motivate himself to find that past Buccaneers form, then the Raiders will be all for it as they look for White to become a mainstay this season at linebacker.
Can Devin White Return to Buccaneers Form?
In a July 29 article from The Athletic’s Tashan Reed, the Raiders‘ head coach, Pete Carroll, revealed that the linebacker wants to rediscover his past form that led to three straight impressive seasons in Tampa Bay.
“He’s back,” Carroll. “He was on top of the world a few years ago, and then things just didn’t work out for one reason or another, but he’s back in action now. He came up to me and said, ‘I’m all in now,’ and he was dead serious in how he said it. And you can see it.”
Furthermore, White is confident that he can find that past form, as he stated in July, which probably led to the remarks on Henderson.
“I feel comfortable, I feel healthy, I feel thankful, and I feel hungry,” White said. “Back? I’ve still got to prove it to the world. … And I’ve got to prove it to my team every day I step in the building. …
“I think coach P just sees me having a lot of fun with the game again. There’s no pressure on me. I’m just going out there and doing what I’ve been doing my whole life — just having fun. If me having fun on the field with my guys is me being back, then I’m glad to be back.”
Raiders Veteran Doesn’t Hold Back on Patriots’ TreVeyon Henderson