Tom Brady already brought in one of the Buccaneers’ former Super Bowl LV starters, adding Alex Cappa. The new Raiders part-owner will now add another of his former Tampa Bay teammates.
Devin White is joining the Raiders on a one-year deal, Fox Sports’ Jordan Schultz tweets. New Raiders GM John Spytek was in Tampa when the Bucs drafted White fifth overall. Despite White washing out of Philly quickly, he will have a rebound opportunity in Vegas.
The Raiders lost linebacker starters Robert Spillane and Divine Deablo in free agency (to the Patriots and Falcons, respectively) and have not done much to replace him. Elandon Roberts is on a one-year, $3MM contract. While the draft will be a key area for the Raiders to upgrade, they will take a flier on White, whose value has cratered since the Bucs picked up his fifth-year option.
Given a one-year, $4MM deal to join the Eagles last year, White received more at signing than Zack Baun. The latter surged to a breakthrough season that ended with a first-team All-Pro nod; White did not play a down for Vic Fangio‘s defense. The Eagles released the LSU in early October, doing so after he had an opportunity to land a starting role. Instead, Baun joined Nakobe Dean as Philly’s primary starters. White finished out last season with the Texans, who used him in seven games (one start).
Even the $4MM Eagles agreement represented a massive step down for White, who is the most recent off-ball linebacker to have seen his option exercised. White made $11.7MM on the option in 2023, but he did not finish the season as full-time Bucs LB. Clashing with the team about his role and an injury situation — and accusations of freelancing — White lost time to K.J. Britt alongside Lavonte David. White, 27, believes the trade request he made during the 2023 offseason — one aimed at landing a top-five ILB extension elsewhere — damaged his reputation inside the Bucs’ building. But his 2024 did not support the theory his Tampa finale was an outlier.
White has a notable past against the Raiders, having delivered one of his best performances during a Bucs win in Vegas during the 2020 season. He recorded three sacks, 11 tackles and a forced fumble during that game, with it playing a central role in the second-level defender’s second-team All-Pro season. White totaled nine sacks and 140 tackles in his second season, which preceded two more 120-plus-tackle slates. Despite the accolades, White saw Pro Football Focus consistently rate him as one of the NFL’s worst LB regulars. After ranking him outside the top 60 in 2019 and ’20, PFF slotted the Bucs’ David sidekick outside the top 70 at the position from 2021-23. White only played 176 snaps last season.
A controversy involving a White foot injury, which prompted an NFL investigation into the situation, brought Britt into a regular role late in the 2023 season. White has not regained one since that development, playing just 40 defensive snaps in Tampa Bay’s two 2023 playoff games. The Raiders will offer a chance at redemption. though they almost definitely will add at least one more starter-caliber player here even after the Roberts and White signings.
I’m not an anti-PFF guy (I generally trust their rankings), but a second team All-Pro and a 60-70 ranking at a position don’t seem to match up. This isn’t a comment on White’s current abilities or PFF’s overall trustworthiness overall, but that specific instance doesn’t seem to match up.
As for a spot starter in free agency in a room that lacks clarity, the Raiders could do worse than a former high end pick who has several hundred plus tackle seasons on record. They rehabbed Spillane’s reputation enough, despite their defensive issues (not that Spillane is a world beater by any means), so bringing someone in with a better past isn’t the worst idea in the world, considering who’s available at the moment. I wouldn’t imagine that Vegas is done improving that position, though, nor should they be.
He was second team All-Pro because he was a 5th overall pick the year before and he racked up nine sacks. The vast majority of his snaps came in pass coverage and run defense, in which his PFF grades were very poor. Excelling in a small role as a blitzer can’t overcome that when it’s a ranking strictly of overall great. It’s not like that was a curated list.
Devin White, Devin Bush, Quay Walker, and Jamin Davis are all examples of how off-ball linebacker isn’t a position where drafting an elite athlete offers any kind of certainty of getting a good player. Especially in an era of offenses that really mess with linebackers. There’s a reason savvier guys like David and Mosley have had better seasons in their 30s than any of those guys have ever had in their 20s.
At this point, I would have a near absolute rule of not drafting an off-ball linebacker in the first round. It’s too hard to project guys from very different college responsibilities and the bust rate is too high.
PFF grades are from a bunch of guys who never played ball. I trust the “eye test”.
PFF grades are created by charting every single play from watching game tape–with their eyes–and a lot of people who work there have played. Hell, Bruce Gradkowski worked there for years.
Devin was mostly reaping from playing with LVD. He got that 2nd team when he was seeking big contract. Once the Bucs won the SB he fell off quick stopped trying g to get better mentally and relied solely on physical abilities. We’ll other teams will spot those tendencies and expose the player. When LVD went down for some games it really showed how Devin couldn’t run the defense.
There’s really no mystery as to why he is best as a pass rusher in the NFL.
I watched White’s entire career at LSU whenever they were on a channel I could watch.
He was one of those guys who was a holdover from the pre national championship era when LSU ran a defense that was big on pass rushing and athletic disruptive OLBs but light on true coverage LBs.
I loved watching White and rooted for him but I knew he wasn’t a true MLB like Devin Bush and like most LSU LBs would struggle to find a true position in the NFL.
He isn’t proof that MLBs are hard to predict. He’s proof that LSU prioritizes athleticism and speed over sure tackling or coverage ability from its linebackers and has for years. Michigan too.
White just happened to be on the national championship winning team with Burrow and was and is a very talented and athletic guy. There’s a reason most LSU LBs are best as pass rushing 3-4 OLBs though.
He was a 5th ovr pick, and got hot in the playoffs the year the bucs won the Super Bowl. He’s extremely athletic so he’s flashy to people who just “go by the eye test” or watch highlights. It’s just the perfect recipe for a casual fan to way overvalue a player.
Dang both ILB Devin’s from that draft washed out
At least they aren’t as washed as your UFL, Goku.
White is simply just a sh*tty poker player who played his professional career hand all wrong. All wrong.
Happens.
I’m a big fan of his play when he’s playing for the love of the game instead of his Whitestradamus prediction that he would become a $100MM man.
He had premature e-whiteulation. Again, the bad hand.
I hope he has a tremendous comeback.
He needs to bunker down and get in touch with his inner Lavonte David.
Devin, I know you will read this because it’s “press” related to you. So just go be you, without the pressure to be the next great thing…and you’ll kick ass.
Be humble. Be silent. Be like Lavonte David. You’ll be fine.
Good signing, Tom Brady.