Getty An insider believes the Pittsburgh Steelers should pursue Devin White
In an offseason where the Pittsburgh Steelers have plenty of needs to address across their roster, inside linebacker is one of their biggest.
The team needs somebody to start alongside Elandon Roberts and free agency could be the best place for them to find that player.
In fact, there is a former All-Pro at the position that could be an appealing option for them on the free agent market.
While appearing on the “Locked On Steelers” podcast, The Athletic’s Mike DeFabo revealed that he believes the Steelers should pursue Tampa Bay Buccaneers linebacker Devin White this offseason.
“I love the idea of Devin White. Remember a couple of years back when they got Devin Bush, everyone was talking about the two Devins and which one was going to fall to the Steelers? They were going to finally fix their inside linebacker position. Now a few years later, Devin White’s not going to completely fix things, but I do like what he brings to the table and I think if you add an inside linebacker at a minimum in free agency, then you can add another in the draft and round out that room.”
White’s Run With the Buccaneers
Early in his career White made the Buccaneers feel good about their decision to draft him fifth overall.
He had 91 tackles and forced 3 fumbles as a rookie.
White followed that up with a season that earned him Second Team All-Pro honors.
He made 140 tackles, defended 4 passes, and got 9 sacks during his second year in the league as he helped the Bucs to a Super Bowl win.
White continued to play at a high level in his third year, earning a spot in the Pro Bowl with 128 tackles.
His fourth year didn’t see him earn any accolades, but he topped 100 tackles again.
He ended up requesting a trade after the season when he wasn’t able to reach a contract extension with the Bucs. The trade never came, though, and he returned for one last season with the team.
His fifth season came in 2023 and was the first time he dropped below 100 tackles since his rookie year. He dealt with an injury during the season and was limited to 14 games.
Now White has a chance to find himself a new team and should garner plenty of interest in spite of a down year in 2023.
Steelers Need a Linebacker
The Steelers’ defense had some issues during the 2023 season that can be traced back to their linebacker situation.
They were below-average against the run, allowing 4.3 yards per carry.
They also had a tough time covering tight ends, which was on display in their playoff loss to the Bills where Dalton Kincaid and Dawson Knox combined for 68 yards and a pair of touchdowns.
There were a couple of reasons for the team’s issues. The first was that the Steelers weren’t exactly loaded at the position to begin with.
Pittsburgh had a couple of solid linebackers in Roberts and Cole Holcomb.
Unfortunately, Holcomb suffered a major knee injury in Week 9 and missed the rest of the year.
The team also lost Kwon Alexander to a torn achilles.
As the injuries piled up, the team didn’t have many options to turn to and ended up with a couple of guys who had previously retired getting playing time.
Adding White would help the team improve against the run and give them a better coverage option against opposing linebackers.
It would also help deepen their rotation at the position to make sure the Steelers don’t end up using practice squad guys down the stretch next season.
The Steelers need to do something about their linebacker situation and White would be a good fit for that need.