The Devin White story: From bouquets and bubbly to mystery and sorrow
TAMPA — Generally speaking, epitaphs do not include cliffhangers.
Then again, the demise of Devin White is not your typical NFL end story. He wasn’t done in by age or scandal or debilitating injury. In fact, his career will survive this season and could, potentially, thrive again.
Just not in Tampa Bay.
Not after he whipped up a concoction of hubris, delusion and petulance that would make Antonio Brown wince.
We’re still not sure exactly why White didn’t play on Sunday in Green Bay — head coach Todd Bowles’ news conference on Monday had the look of a bus driver swerving wildly to avoid running anyone over — but it seems pretty clear that White’s days in a Bucs uniform are numbered.
So, if the end is near, how are we to remember White?
As a phenom and Super Bowl hero? Or as the guy who threatened to sit out of training camp because he was not happy the Bucs picked up his $11.7 million option instead of giving him a multi-year extension.
Will he be celebrated as a fan favorite and a Pro Bowl pick in 2021 at age 23? Or will you recall how he used his sore foot to beg out of the Packers game after figuring out K.J. Britt was going to be starting ahead of him, according to the reporting of Times beat writer Rick Stroud?
That’s a heck of a reputational balancing act. And what’s a shame is that it was so unnecessary.
From the time he arrived in Tampa Bay as the No. 5 pick in the 2019 draft, White had sweetness and talent in his corner. He could go sideline to sideline to run down any ballcarrier and he was a guided missile as a blitzing linebacker in 2020. There was also an exuberance that was delightfully unrefined, and the Bucs capitalized on that when it came to promoting the franchise.
But when analysts started talking about him as one of the top inside linebackers in the league, White seemed to overdose on their praise. The splash plays started to dry up, the overall numbers declined and White seemed oblivious to the idea that his reputation was slipping.
He seemed hellbent on getting the kind of five-year, $100 million deal that Roquan Smith received after he held out of training camp in Chicago and forced a midseason trade to Baltimore. The only problem is White’s performance hasn’t matched that type of paycheck in the past 12 months.
His average number of tackles per game has gone from 9.3 (in 2020) to 7.5 to 7.2 to 6.2. He had six forced fumbles and nine fumble recoveries in his first four seasons. He has none this year. He’s gone from averaging six sacks, 17 quarterback hits and 10 tackles for loss per year from 2020-22, to two sacks, six QB hits and three tackles for loss in 2023.
To his credit, White played through groin and foot injuries earlier this season but sat out the Carolina and Atlanta games after criticism of his performance grew louder. It didn’t help that Britt and J.J. Russell turned in solid performances in his absence.
Bowles said he did not tell White that he wouldn’t start in Green Bay, but that could simply be semantics. It’s possible linebackers coach Larry Foote delivered the message. Or it’s possible that White figured it out himself after seeing Britt get first-team reps ahead of him on Thursday and Friday.
Bowles was also elusive on the whole timeline of White’s situation. He said the linebacker informed him on Friday or Saturday that he couldn’t play, yet White was still listed as questionable on the team’s injury list right up until game time, even though it was updated for other players.
“If they’re injured and they say they can’t go, what else are you going to do? You play ball,” Bowles said. “I’ve had captains hurt, I’ve had backups hurt. Some say they can go, some say they can’t. That’s about all there is.”
For a player heading to free agency, this is a train wreck of a season. And it wouldn’t be shocking if someone tried to minimize the damage by advising White he would be better off on the injured list rather than accepting a backup role. The problem is it was bungled by the last-second revelation.
Now, fans are usually pretty forgiving when a player is looking for a bigger paycheck. Everyone understands NFL careers are brief, and players need to capitalize when they have the chance.
But nothing about this situation looks good for White. And that’s a crying shame.
This is a player who had 38 tackles, two interceptions, two fumble recoveries and three tackles for a loss in the first three playoff games of his career.
He deserved bouquets and bubbly for what he did during Tampa Bay’s Super Bowl run.
Sadly, with one foot out the door, it’s hard to tell whether to applaud White’s tenure or his departure.
John Romano can be reached at jromano@tampabay.com. Follow @romano_tbtimes.
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