Getty Head coach Todd Bowles of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
A Tampa Bay Buccaneers star could soon be on the way out.
Linebacker Devin White, who will become a free agent in the offseason, should be a target of the Houston Texans, according to Bleacher Report’s Alex Ballentine. White surprisingly did not play in Week 15 against the Green Bay Packers and had previously sought a trade from Tampa Bay.
“It’s safe to say Devin White might be better suited going elsewhere in 2024,” Ballentine wrote in a December 26 story on “prioritizing every team’s weaknesses after Week 16.” “He didn’t play in the Buccaneers’ Week 15 win over the Green Bay Packers because he told the team he “couldn’t go” thanks to a foot injury, per head coach Todd Bowles. It’s also worth remembering that he requested a trade last offseason.”
Ballentine argued that Houston’s need for a linebacker combined with the fact that DeMeco Ryans — a former two-time Pro Bowl linebacker — coaches the team could entice White to sign with the Texans.
“Perhaps connecting with DeMeco Ryans could help White get his career back on track,” Ballentine wrote. “He’s a productive blitzer, and Texans linebacker Blake Cashman is set to hit the free agent market. Signing White and re-signing Cashman would give the Texans a strong pairing on the inside.”
Devin White Shuts Down Controversy Over Missed Packers Game
White attributed his absence against the Packers due to a foot injury. However, he was a full practice participant in the sessions leading up to the game and a report from Rick Stroud of The Tampa Bay Times indicated there was more to White’s decision to sit.
“Linebacker Devin White informed the Bucs he ‘couldn’t go’ before Sunday’s game after learning the team planned to start K.J. Britt against the Packers,” Stroud wrote on December 17.
However, White refuted the report that he “quit” on his team.
“I’ve just been seeing a lot of stuff saying like, that I quit on my team,” White said, according to a December 20 story by ESPN’s Jenna Laine. “I don’t understand how I could do that when it was a personal — like for me and coach [Todd] Bowles — decision to sit down and rest to be able to help my team. And even when I haven’t been playing, I’ve been in the building. I’ve been out there just supporting them. … I’ll never quit on my team.”
Devin White Has Struggled During 2023 Season
This has been arguably White’s most difficult season to date. Although he recently admitted regret over his trade request during the offseason, he has struggled on the field during the 2023 season. According to Pro Football Focus, White has posted a lowly 46.7 defensive grade and 34.6 run defensive grade this season.
While those grades are actually on par with some of the numbers he’s posted throughout his career, they rank among the worst in the NFL. His defensive and run defensive grades are the third-worst among linebackers (with at least 300 snaps).
With that being said, White has started 73 of his 74 career games played since the 2019 season and ranks third on the team in tackles. Furthermore, he’s a former Super Bowl champion, Pro Bowler and All-Pro selection. In other words, there will be a market for White.
White is in the midst of the final year of his rookie contract, earning $11.7 million during his fifth-year option this season.
If the Buccaneers and White decide to move on from one another, the Texans may very well emerge as a landing spot.