Tag: white buccaneers

Devin White makes NFL.com’s 2019 Defensive All-Rookie Team

See why NFL writer Chris Wesseling selected Bucs rookie linebacker Devin White for his 2019 Defensive All-Rookie Team.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers linebacker Devin White had perhaps one of the worst starts to a regular season in recent memory for a rookie. The fifth overall pick in April’s NFL draft dealt with tonsillitis in the days leading up to Week 1, causing him to lose nearly 10 pounds. Then, early in Week 2 against the Carolina Panthers, White went down with a sprained knee, which sidelined him for several games.

But, over the past month, White has been showing the Bucs and the rest of the league why he was considered the prize linebacker in the 2019 draft class. While White likely saw his chances of winning NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year honors slip away due to his knee injury, he still found a spot on NFL.com’s 2019 Defensive All-Rookie Team. White joined Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker Devin Bush and Washington Redskins linebacker Cole Holcomb on the list.

Here’s what NFL writer Chris Wesseling had to say about White’s selection:

“After an early-season disappearing act, White began to play with confidence and impressive closing speed as a sideline-to-sideline, seek-and-destroy menace versus the Cardinals in Week 10. He went on to capture NFC Defensive Rookie of the Month honors for November, following a five-game stretch that featured 46 tackles, 2.5 sacks, five QB hits, one interception, two forced fumbles and a fumble recovery returned for a touchdown.”

White and the streaking Buccaneers head to Detroit in Week 15 to take on the Lions. Tampa Bay will be looking for their fourth-straight win, while Detroit is looking to halt a six-game skid.

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A closer look at Devin White’s touchdown shows just how great he is

Devin White’s instincts on his fumble recovery touchdown against the Jaguars shows why the Bucs took him with the fifth overall pick.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have won two-straight games for the first time this season, after convincing wins over the Atlanta Falcons and Jacksonville Jaguars, both on the road.

While the offense has usually been the reason for getting this team a W, it’s the defense that has been coming on strong of late. They’ve allowed just 33 points over the past two games, and the emergence of rookie linebacker Devin White has been a big reason why.

In Sunday’s win over the Jags, White had a monster first quarter, becoming the first Bucs rookie in franchise history to record an interception, fumble recovery and defensive touchdown in the same game.

White delivered the postgame speech in the locker room after the win, and head coach Bruce Arians sung the rookie’s praises for his big performance. And, when you go back and look at the replay of White’s fumble recovery and touchdown, you get an idea of why the Bucs saw him as the future cornerstone of this defense.

Take a look at this tweet, courtesy of Bucs staff writer Carmen Vitali.

(Note: White is the Bucs player behind part of the goal line.)

Tampa Bay took the former LSU linebacker with the fifth overall pick in April’s draft, and after a rough start to the year in which he dealt with tonsillitis and a sprained knee, White has started to come into his own.

Or, as he put, he’s “a big boy now.”

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