Philadelphia Eagles: Kyzir White has huge shoes to fill

For the longest time, it seemed like Haason Reddick was going to become the first Philadelphia Eagles player to wear the number 43 since Darren Sproles hung up his cleats in 2019.

Sure, in college, Reddick wore seven and 58, and both of those numbers were theoretically available, but at each spot in his NFL journey, from Arizona to Carolina, the pride of Camden, New Jersey, wore the number 43. While single-digit numbers have since become available to linebackers/defensive ends and 58 was freed up thanks to Genard Avery‘s decision to sign with the Pittsburgh Steelers, the chances of 43 being worn by a dynamic, electrifying playmaker capable of changing the tenor of a game with a single play felt relatively high… at least until he opted to go with seven following overwhelming support on a Twitter poll.

But hey, if you were hoping to see a new number 43, you’re in luck, as Kyzir White, the Eagles’ other free agent linebacker addition opted to go with the number as his professional number 44, was already retired for “Pistol Pete” Pete Retzlaff.

Does Kyzir White have some massive shoes to fill? You bet, but considering his life-long fandom of the Philadelphia Eagles, something tells me he’s willing to take that challenge head-on.

If Kyzir White succeeds, so will the Philadelphia Eagles.

Allow me to present you with a good, better, best situation for Kyzir White’s maiden voyage as a member of the Philadelphia Eagles.

After turning in a fantastic final season in Los Angeles with the Chargers, it’s clear White can play in the NFL. He picked up 144 tackles, picked off two passes, and even recorded one sack and two forced fumbles on his way to a season with an AV of 7, according to Pro Football Reference. Considering the dire straights of the Eagles’ linebacking corps over the past few seasons, White should serve as a solid upgrade over many of the options the Eagles had at their disposal last season, or even back to 2020 and even beyond.

But do you know who else has a season with 100-plus tackles, multiple turnovers, and an AV of 7 on their resume? Yeah, that would be Alex Singleton, who accomplished that stat line in 2020. While swapping out Singleton for a more expensive clone wouldn’t be ideal, it’s hard to knock the former CFL standout too hard for his efforts in midnight green, as he was instrumental in multiple wins since he came to town and seemingly always found a way to see the field one way or another despite some Nathan Gerry-esque lapses of judgment in zone coverage.

Alternatively, it’s possible the Eagles could draft a player in the first, second, or even a later round who hits the ground running, catches fire, and immediately becomes the Eagles’ weakside linebacker of the future. If that happens, I would still expect White to see the field in defensive sub-packages, as swapping out T.J. Edwards for a more athletic option in the nickel would be a very positive development, but it’s hard to imagine such a role being what he expected when Howie Roseman came calling with a prove-it deal.

Alright, so let’s assume White is able to win the starting weakside linebacker spot this fall and make waves right out of the gate; what then would be a “better” role for the 26-year-old? Well, look no further than the role Nigel Bradham played under Jim Schwartz during the team’s Super Bowl run. From 2016-18, Bradham played at least 96 percent of the Eagles’ defensive snaps and was on the field regardless of whether the team was in base, goal line, or even dime package. If White can become a steady contributor on the weakside capable of holding up well enough in coverage to remain on the field regardless of down and distance – and even in dime, when there is only one linebacker on the field – he will undoubtedly deserve a new contract and potentially even earn one if Howie Roseman feels like paying out.

And what about the best? If everything goes as well as possible, what will the new 43’s season look like? Well, it’ll probably look a bit like Eric Kendricks‘ 2019 season with the Minnesota Vikings, where he was named a Pro Bowler and an All-Pro in a scheme very similar to the one run by Jonathan Gannon. In 2019, Kendricks was the Vikings’ defensive leader, a force in the run game, and one of the best coverage linebackers the NFL had to offer. He stayed on the field regardless of down, distance, or play design and even relayed the play in from the sideline to his teammates before the ball was snapped. While it’s hard to imagine White playing the exact same role as 2019 Kendricks this fall, as he’d need to bulk up considerably to play middle linebacker full-time, if he can become a switchblade defensive playmaker capable of impacting every game where he’s on the field, his contract might be torn up before the regular season ends and wind up becoming the sort of foundational linebacker the Eagles haven’t had in a very long time.

Will Kyzir White perfectly fit into any of those boxes in 2022, or will his season take a different path? Only time will tell. Personally, I think the “better” option is probably the most likely, as White just screams every-down linebacker to me, but hey, I’ve been wrong before. But however White’s season shakes out, he’ll have incredibly large shoes to fill by selecting the number 43, even if they most recently belonged to one of the smallest players in Philadelphia Eagles history.