The defending Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles are set to kick off OTAs next week, which gives head coach Nick Sirianni a first chance to have the veterans and incoming rookies together at the NovaCare Complex.
After an excellent 2024 season that ended with the Eagles winning Super Bowl 59, Sirianni will use this opportunity to work with the guys and prepare them for their title defense.
However, several former Eagles won’t be able to participate in OTAs as they are still in free agency, waiting for their next opportunity. One of those ex-Eagles is veteran linebacker Kyzir White.
The 29-year-old defender spent the 2022 season with the Eagles, which was their first Super Bowl appearance in the Sirianni era. White was a solid pickup for the Eagles as he gave them a legit starting outside linebacker.
White thrived in then-defensive coordinator Jonathan Gannon’s scheme, posting 110 combined tackles, seven pass deflections, three tackles for loss, and three quarterback hits. The veteran linebacker played in all 17 games (made eight starts) during that season.
However, White only started in one game during that playoff run, but still managed 11 combined tackles in three games. He fared well in pass coverage with the Eagles, which helped make a push for a Super Bowl in 2022. White had a 64.6 completion percentage allowed on targets and a 74.4 pass rating allowed when targeted.
As we all know, the Eagles lost to the Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl 57, and White followed Gannon to the Arizona Cardinals. The former Eagle signed a two-year, $10 million contract with the Cards.
White started in 11 games in 2023 and followed that up by playing in all 17 games last season. Last year in Arizona, he had 137 combined tackles, nine tackles for loss, eight quarterback hits, three pass deflections, 2.5 sacks, an interception, and a fumble recovery.
However, the advanced stats tell a different story about White’s play. According to Pro Football Focus, White had a 48.8 overall grade (156th among 189 eligible linebackers), a 49.4 pass rush grade (155th), a 73.0 run defense grade (50th), and a 32.0 coverage grade (174th).
When you see those grades, it makes sense why some teams might hesitate to sign the veteran linebacker. Nonetheless, the former Eagle can still be a serviceable linebacker and start when called upon. We’ll see if White can get an opportunity over the next few weeks, as a few teams still need linebacker depth.