Eagles Can ‘Bolster’ Lineup By Trading for $29 Million Ex-Pro Bowler: Analyst

Getty The Eagles could be an ideal landing spot for LB Devin White.

If the Philadelphia Eagles are looking to upgrade at the linebacker position, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers‘ Devin White could be a logical option.

As suggested by Philly Sports Network’s Chris Infante, one option at linebacker that “bolster” their lineup is none other than the former Pro Bowl veteran. The 25-year-old White openly requested a trade from Tampa Bay during the offseason.

Infante makes a case for White landing with the Eagles, arguing that he’d be a great mentor to the second-year Nakobe Dean while also bringing a certain type of pedigree after winning a Super Bowl with the Buccaneers.

“White openly requested a trade back in March but seems to be in good spirits a training camp for the Bucs,” writes Infante. “But that doesn’t mean he wants to stay on a seemingly rebuilding team. He’s only 25 years old, yes he’ll need a big contract, but he’d be a great mentor to Dean as well as bring a winning reputation.”

Why Devin White Requested Trade From Buccaneers

White is currently participating in training camp after showing up — but not participating — during the Buccaneers’ mandatory minicamp back in June. As Bailey Adams of Pewter Report noted back in June, White’s trade request resulted from not being happy with his current deal. White is entering the final year of his rookie contract, which will pay him roughly $11.7 million.

According to Spotrac, White’s market value is projected at $20.1 million per season.

“White is set to make around $11 million this season, but he was looking for a big-time contract extension instead,” writes Adams. “He has always said his goal is to be a $100 million linebacker, and it’s clear he feels he’s reached that level. When the Bucs didn’t give in to his contract demands he asked to be traded this offseason.”

Despite White’s trade request, the Buccaneers made it clear they had no intention of trading their young linebacker.

Eagles Could Look to Upgrade at Linebacker Before Start of Season

It’s no secret that one of the weaker positions on the Eagles’ roster is at linebacker. While sack master Haason Reddick returns to man the strongside linebacker spot — he posted a team-leading 16 sacks last season — the other two linebacker spots have question marks.

Dean is expected to start at middle linebacker after playing just 34 defensive snaps during his rookie season. Meanwhile, veteran Nicholas Morrow is expected to start at weakside linebacker after a career season with the Chicago Bears (team-leading 116 tackles during the 2022 season). However, prior to last season, Morrow was never known as a statistical monster, with 78 tackles being his previous career-high output for a single season.

Furthermore, the advanced analytics do not paint a pretty picture of Morrow’s performance. According to Pro Football Focus, Morrow posted just a 54.0 defensive grade and a 46.8 run defensive grade. Not only are those grades pedestrian, they rank far below Philadelphia’s starting linebackers from last season, Kyzir White and T.J. Edwards. White posted a 65.0 defensive grade and 63.9 run defensive grade, while Edwards posted some of the best defensive grades of any player with an 84.8 defensive grade and 83.4 run defensive grade.

Jimmy Kempski of Philly Voice has been analyzing each day of Eagles training camp. One of the position battles he’s focused on is featuring Morrow and backup Christian Elliss for the starting job at weakside linebacker.

At the conclusion of practice on Tuesday, August 1, Kempski wrote that while Morrow won the day over Elliss, neither player has stood out during training camp. He even mentions that he would imagine the Eagles have already explored “outside” options at linebacker.

“We’ll award the day to Morrow, but neither player has really stood out through the first four practices,” writes Kempski. “I imagine Howie Roseman has already begun exploring outside options at linebacker.”

It wouldn’t surprise anyone if the Eagles were to upgrade at linebacker before the start of the regular season. But considering the Buccaneers’ stance on White, it’s hard to envision Philadelphia acquiring the 25-year-old star linebacker via trade.