6 Eagles on the Roster Bubble Heading Into Preseason Finale
By Randy Gurzi
2. Devin White, Linebacker
There was a time when Devin White was one of the hottest names at linebacker in the league. Selected fifth overall in 2019 out of LSU, White spent the first five seasons of his career with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
He had more than 120 tackles in three of those campaigns, with 566 overall. For good measure, he added 23 sacks, 21 pass defenses, and three interceptions.
However, he did what a lot of linebackers do and slowed down after a few years. Linebackers are basically the running backs of the defense, meaning the physical toll they take wears on them quickly. That was the case with Tampa and according to Geoffrey Knox of Inside the Iggles, he hasn't looked much better thus far with the Eagles.
""Remember this guy? No, he isn't playing much. No, we didn't expect him to, but he hasn't done anything to increase our confidence in him through two preseason games. He has tallied three tackles during those two games, but we have seen a lot of what made the Tampa Bay Buccaneers give up on him. He's out of position too often. He seems to be two steps away from where he should be.""
- Geoffrey Knox, Inside the Iggles
White is still slated as the starter next to Zack Baun but there are plenty of other options. Nakobe Dean has proven he can perform when healthy and Jeremiah Trotter, Jr, has been a standout in camp. Throw in Oren Burks and the Eagles might be more comfortable releasing the underperforming White, unless he turns the corner in a hurry.