ESPN Projects Buccaneers To Trade Devin White To AFC Football Team
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are wrapping up OTAs on Wednesday and head coach Todd Bowles has been pleased with the attendance. All but a couple of faces have come through the facility as of late with the team preparing for Mandatory Mini-Camp.
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The question on everyone's minds is if veteran linebacker Devin White is going to show up to camp. For those that live under a rock, White requested a trade from the franchise ahead of the 2023 NFL Draft in April over frustrations of playing out the fifth year of his rookie deal without a new contract.
To this point, neither side has budged one way or another but Tampa Bay is cautiously optimistic that White will be in town next week. Regardless, it's still worth wondering if this is a situation that the franchise can mend or if they should just cut their losses.
Though training camp is still nearly two months away, there is a crop of intriguing players available in free agency or on the trade market, including White. ESPN's Matt Bowen projected landing spots for multiple players earlier this month.
In the curious case of White, Bowen believes that the Tennessee Titans are Tampa Bay's best partner in a potential trade.
"White, who requested a trade in April, didn't play his best football in 2022, but his downhill acceleration and pursuit range would fit in Tennessee," Bowen wrote. "Paired with free agent addition Azeez Al-Shaair, the Titans would have two stack linebackers with the traits to track the ball in the run game, pressure and roam the second level in passing situations."
The Titans have some salary cap issues -- White would want a new contract from the team that trades for him -- but they could figure out a way to give him a deal," Bowen continued.
General Manager Jason Licht was adamant that the franchise wouldn't trade White at the time of his original trade request. It's worth wondering if his tune has changed at all as the former first-round pick continues to become a bigger and bigger distraction to the team.
White was named second-team All-Pro in 2020 and earned his first Pro Bowl nod in 2021. Since being selected by Tampa Bay in 2019, he's started in all 62 of his appearances and totaled 483 tackles, 35 tackles for loss, 20.5 sacks, six forced fumbles, nine fumble recoveries, one interception, and two defensive touchdowns.
His play has declined slightly over the past two years after White posted a career-high 140 tackles, 15 tackles for loss, nine sacks, one forced fumble, and one fumble recovery in 2020.
Tennessee is staying diligent to find ways to improve its roster after missing the playoffs last year. The franchise is expected to bring in former Houston Texans and Arizona Cardinals star DeAndre Hopkins for a visit.
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