The Philadelphia Eagles have surprisingly released linebacker Devin White, the team announced on Tuesday. White signed with the Eagles in March on a one-year, $4 million deal, but White did not appear in a game for the Eagles this season. He now becomes a free agent.
Per Jeremy Fowler of ESPN, the Eagles looked into trading White during the preseason but did not get a trade done.
#Eagles have released LB Devin White, team announces. Team explored trading him in preseason. It just didn’t work out for the former Pro Bowler in Philly.
— Jeremy Fowler (@JFowlerESPN) October 8, 2024
The Eagles have made White inactive for each of their first four games of the season. White did not travel with the Eagles to Sao Paulo, Brazil in Week 1 for their game against the Green Bay Packers because of an ankle injury. He later became a healthy scratch for the Eagles.
White’s role with the Eagles appeared to be in question after Nakobe Dean, the team’s third-year linebacker, won the starting job over White in the preseason.
White previously emerged as one of the NFL‘s more promising young linebackers when he began his career with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The Buccaneers drafted White No. 5 overall out of LSU in the 2019 NFL Draft, the highest an inside linebacker had been drafted since the Seattle Seahawks took Aaron Curry No. 4 overall in 2009.
As a rookie, White emerged as a playmaker on the defensive side of the ball for the Buccaneers. Over 13 games, he recorded 91 total tackles, 2.5 sacks, three forced fumbles, one interception, and three pass deflections. He was even named the NFC Defensive Rookie of the Month in December.
White put in an even stronger sophomore season. In 2020, he recorded a career-high 140 tackles — leading the Buccaneers — and also put up nine sacks, one forced fumble, and four pass deflections. White’s strong performance continued in the postseason, when he recorded 38 total tackles, recovered two tackles, and intercepted two passes — including one off of Patrick Mahomes in Super Bowl LV — ultimately helping the Buccaneers bring home the Lombardi Trophy.
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The Buccaneers picked up White’s fifth-year option in 2022, but a year later, White requested a trade from the Buccaneers. White later called his trade request “selfish,” but ended up spending the 2023 season with the Buccaneers. White ended up losing his starting job with the Buccaneers late in the season to K.J. Britt. He still finished the 2023 campaign with 83 total tackles, 2.5 sacks, and two interceptions, but was not satisfied losing the starting job.
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