It may have come as a surprise when reports emerged that Tampa Bay Buccaneers linebacker Devin White has requested a trade. What may not be surprising is that it is exactly what the Bucs should do with their former first-round pick.
By many accounts, Devin White is a star. His rookie year was filled with promise, forcing three fumbles and recovering four, including two returned for touchdowns. This led to him making the 2019 NFL All-Rookie Team.
White was instrumental during Tampa’s 2020 Super Bowl run, posting eye-popping stats. He recorded nine sacks and 15 tackles for loss during the regular season before collecting two interceptions and two fumble recoveries during the playoffs.
In 2020, White was one of the most effective pass-rushers in the NFL, earning a 17.4 pass-rush productivity (PRP) score from Pro Football Focus which measures pressures against pass-rush snaps. White’s 2020 PRP score was the best among all off-ball linebackers and was even better than most defensive linemen.
White has finished top-10 in solo tackles each of the last two years. He is one of the NFL’s best blitzers and has career 20.5 sacks. He has also been highly durable, playing no less than 91% of defensive snaps in any year since joining the Bucs. He was a Pro Bowler in 2021 and has been named Player of the Week three times and was the Defensive Player of the Month in September 2022.
Bucs head coach Todd Bowles clearly loves him. He was extolling his virtues as recently as this year’s combine (via Fox Sports’ Greg Auman):
Todd Bowles in Indy on Devin White last week: "Devin takes a lot of heat for so many things. Everybody talks about missed tackles, but he makes tackles that I haven't seen linebackers make in 30 years. He can make plays for us. He's still one of our best two players on defense."
— Greg Auman (@gregauman) March 6, 2023
Despite his request, the Bucs “have no plans” to trade White, according to the Tampa Bay Times’ Rick Stroud. This could be a negotiating tactic, but the Bucs have also spent years talking up Devin White and pushing him as leader of the defense.
So, what could possibly lead to Devin White demanding a trade from an organization that clearly values him? It may be that they don’t value him enough, at least according to White. Back when White was still a draft prospect, he made very clear what he was looking for in five years when he would hit free agency: $100 million.
The Bucs appear to be balking at this premise. They should.
$100 million for an off-ball linebacker is top-of-the-market money. Only three linebackers in the NFL currently make this kind of money: Roquan Smith, Shaquille Leonard and Fred Warner.
Devin White is not as good as any of these three linebackers. He may not be as good as the linebackers a tier below them, even.
Despite his flashy numbers, White is frequently a liability in run defense and pass coverage. He missed 14% of his tackles in 2022 per PFF, putting him among the bottom-10 linebackers who played at least 50% of their team’s defensive snaps. When in coverage last year, he allowed a passer rating of 121.8, second-worst among linebackers.
These are not aberrations. Over his NFL career, he has missed 13.1% of his tackles and has allowed a 106.9 passer rating in coverage.
This may be forgivable if Devin White were more of a playmaker, but he simply isn’t the sort that gets paid $100 million. Since 2020, White has just two forced fumbles, three recoveries, 16 tackles for a loss and no interceptions.
Even his PRP score has declined every year since 2020. He has as many sacks over the last two years as he recorded in 2020.
To be clear, Devin White has the talent and production to be a starting NFL linebacker, but that’s not really the issue behind his trade request. The problem is he thinks he is a $100 million linebacker, and he isn’t.
That is why the Bucs should make every effort to trade Devin White. He will never be happy unless he is making top dollar. Given his liabilities in several aspects as a defender, the Bucs would be better off letting some other team pay that bill.
Because White is still a valuable pass rusher, the Bucs could get a decent return for him in draft capital, possibly a pick in round two or three. A Day 2 pick would be just enough to replace White. After all, Shaquille Leonard and Fred Warner were both Day 2 picks.
The Bucs may resist the notion of trading Devin White, but it would be for the best. He has ambitions that exceed their means to accommodate them, and they could be the better for it.
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