Landing Spots for Buccaneers LB Devin White After Requesting Trade | News, Scores, Highlights, Stats, and Rumors

Devin WhiteKevin Sabitus/Getty Images

We don’t see many Pro Bowl linebackers on the move via trade in the offseason. Yet Devin White could suit up for a new team in the upcoming NFL season at his request.

According to ESPN’s Jenna Laine, White has requested a trade because he’s “fed up.”

“The source did not provide specifics on the root cause of White’s frustration, but said he has become very unhappy in his current situation,” Laine wrote.

“Another source told ESPN that White’s frustrations stem from negotiations over a new contract.”

Per ESPN’s Adam Schefter, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers don’t want to trade White.

White played a key role in the Buccaneers’ 2020 Super Bowl team, leading the club in tackles (140) and tackles for loss (15) with nine sacks. In that year, he earned a second-team All-Pro nod as a part of a defense that ranked eighth in scoring and sixth in yards allowed.

In the following season, White made the Pro Bowl roster, registering 128 tackles, eight for loss, 3.5 sacks and three pass breakups.

Based on White’s overall production, we can see why the Buccaneers want to retain him, though with that said, he has warts in his game that may complicate negotiations on a new deal.

In all four of his seasons, White has missed at least 8.1 percent of his tackle attempts. He’s also struggled in coverage, allowing at least a 104.9 passer rating in two of the last three seasons.

This past year, Hall of Famer Warren Sapp questioned White’s effort in the Buccaneers’ Week 8 Thursday night loss to the Baltimore Ravens. Sapp didn’t sugarcoat his criticism in a (NSFW) film breakdown of the game.

“I want you to watch the effort of the captain right here, No. 45,” Sapp said (h/t SI.com’s David Harrison). “How do you show up with your defense on Monday morning with this type of effort? I’d ask for your ‘C’ off your chest. Are you s–tting me? Are you kidding me right now? What is that?”

Any team that’s willing to trade for White must consider all these factors—the good and the bad—with the idea that he may want a new contract that puts him close to the five highest-paid players at his position in annual salary (AAV).

Currently, C.J. Mosley’s deal lists fifth in AAV among off-ball linebackers at $17 million per year. White has an $11.7 million cap hit in the final year of his rookie contract.

Based on White’s play strengths and weaknesses with the possibility that he wants a pay raise, we’ve come up with five potential trade destinations for him. From a team perspective, each landing spot takes schematic fit, cap space and roster need into account. The clubs are listed in order from fifth-best match to best match.

Jahlani TavaiAP Photo/Joshua Bessex

The New England Patriots don’t have a surefire starting inside linebacker locked into a contract beyond the 2023 season. Jahlani Tavai and Chris Board are the only two players at the position under team control through the 2024 campaign. The former moved into a starting role in Week 5 of the previous term, and the latter signed with the team in free agency.

In five seasons with the Patriots, Ja’Whaun Bentley worked his way up the depth chart, from backup and special teams player to a starter, but he’s two years older than Devin White and his contract will expire at the end of the 2023 term.

Going into his age-25 season, White would easily become the most accomplished player among the Patriots’ inside linebackers. He would also bring Super Bowl experience to a team that’s trying to regain prominence in its post-Tom Brady era.

Essentially, New England can strengthen a shallow position and get a little younger in the middle of its defense with White in the fold. The Patriots have $12.4 million in cap space. They can restructure Matthew Judon’s contract to save $5.2 million if White wants an immediate bump in salary.

Kenneth MurrayAP Photo/Zach Bolinger

The Los Angeles Chargers rank one spot higher than the Patriots among White’s potential trade destinations because of schematic fit.

As mentioned, White isn’t a reliable coverage defender. He’s most effective in blitz-heavy schemes because of his downhill playmaking ability. The Buccaneers linebacker has 20.5 sacks in his career and recorded at least 20 pressures in each of his previous three seasons.

Over the past four years, Tampa Bay has ranked second, fifth, first and 10th in blitz rate, which has allowed defensive play-caller and head coach Todd Bowles to utilize White as a supplement to the pass rush.

Over the past two years, the Chargers have increased their blitz rate, going up from 25.1 percent to 31.1 percent. For comparison, the Buccaneers blitzed on 28.3 percent of their defensive plays in 2022.

Los Angeles’ heavy use of the blitz caters to White’s skill set. The Chargers would field a scary pass rush with him, Joey Bosa and Khalil Mack in the front seven.

Furthermore, the Chargers need an upgrade at inside linebacker because Kenneth Murray Jr. has been a disappointment. The 2020 first-rounder lost his starting job during the 2021 campaign, and his 2022 season didn’t solidify his spot. This offseason, Los Angeles signed Eric Kendricks to patch up a weakness on the second level of its defense.

Malcolm RodriguezAP Photo/Paul Sancya

The Detroit Lions list third among White’s potential new teams. Unlike the Chargers, the Lions don’t have to make financial decisions around a quarterback who’s going to sign a massive extension in the near future.

Though Los Angeles has $15 million in cap space, head coach Brandon Staley told reporters that the team has started extension negotiations with quarterback Justin Herbert, which may impact how general manager Tom Telesco uses the cap space this offseason.

Meanwhile, the Lions have $25.9 million in cap space, and their quarterback, Jared Goff, has a relatively manageable cap hit of about $31 million in 2023.

After signing Cameron Sutton, C.J. Gardner-Johnson and Emmanuel Moseley and trading Jeff Okudah to the Atlanta Falcons, Detroit can continue to remodel a defensive unit that showed some improvement in the second half of the 2022 season but still gave up the most yards and fourth-most points.

In 2022, the Lions blitzed nearly as much as the Chargers at 31.2 percent, which makes White a suitable schematic fit.

Though Detroit may have found a sixth-round draft gem in James Houston, who recorded eight sacks in seven games this past term, the Lions can use him in a designated pass-rushing role with White taking on a majority of the snaps.

At linebacker, Alex Anzalone and White would play most of the snaps with Malcolm Rodriguez, another 2022 sixth-rounder, and Houston coming off solid rookie campaigns to round out the position. Detroit would have one of the league’s most talented linebacker corps, featuring a blend of veteran experience and budding youth.

Alex SingletonAAron Ontiveroz/MediaNews Group/The Denver Post via Getty Images

With a new coaching staff in place, the Denver Broncos rank as the second-best fit for White.

This offseason, Denver brought back Vance Joseph for the defensive coordinator position on Sean Payton’s staff. He served as the team’s head coach between 2017 and 2018. Last year, in Arizona, his defensive unit had the second-highest blitz rate at 34.5 percent.

Between 2019 and 2022, with Joseph as their defensive coordinator, the Cardinals ranked within the top four in blitz rate. Clearly, he prefers to bring play-calling variety to his pass-rushing game plan.

White can help a defense that doesn’t have a premier player at inside linebacker with Josey Jewell and Alex Singleton in the middle of the unit.

Also, keep in mind that the Broncos traded edge-rusher Bradley Chubb to the Miami Dolphins before the 2022 trade deadline. They allowed their 2022 sack leader, Dre’Mont Jones, to walk in free agency. Since entering the league in 2015, Randy Gregory hasn’t played more than 55 percent of his team’s defensive snaps in a single season. In 2022, Denver finished 26th in pressure rate at 18.5 percent.

White would undoubtedly start at inside linebacker for the Broncos, and his pass-rushing ability would serve the defense well. He’d be more of a luxury acquisition for the Lions, who have promising young talent at linebacker. Denver needs a defender with his skill set.

Elandon RobertsKevin Sabitus/Getty Images

This offseason, the Pittsburgh Steelers underwent major changes at inside linebacker. They cut Myles Jack, and Devin Bush signed with the Seattle Seahawks in free agency.

To address the position, Pittsburgh signed linebackers Cole Holcomb and Elandon Roberts. The former has 48 career starts and the latter has 76 starts, but White is younger than both of them.

Roberts will turn 29 years old on April 22, and he’s a lesser version of White.

Roberts is a two-down defender who hasn’t played more than 59 percent of his team’s defensive snaps in a single season. He isn’t a reliable coverage defender, allowing at least a 121.9 passer rating in two of his previous three terms while seeing limited targets in coverage. On a positive note, Roberts registered career highs in tackles (107) and sacks (4.5 sacks) with the Miami Dolphins last year.

Pittsburgh should acquire White as an upgrade over Roberts. He also fits defensive coordinator Teryl Austin’s blitz-friendly scheme. In 2022, the Steelers ranked sixth in blitz rate at 31.5 percent—and that’s with edge-rusher Alex Highsmith and defensive tackle Cameron Heyward combining for 25 sacks, though we should note that T.J. Watt missed seven games.

Nonetheless, with Heyward going into his age-34 campaign and Watt coming off an injury-riddled year, White can bring a little extra to the Steelers pass rush while bolstering the inside linebacker position.

The Steelers have $9.8 million in cap space, though they can free up $12.6 million by restructuring Watt’s contract.

Maurice Moton covers the NFL for Bleacher Report. You can follow him on Twitter @MoeMoton.