Eagles 'Big Dog' LB Devin White Officially Signs, Ready to 'Earn It All Again'
PHILADELPHIA – Devin White kept it simple when it came time to pick a new team.
He had seen the Philadelphia Eagles a few times during his career with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, played them twice in the playoffs, and beat them both times.
He knew Jalen Hurts from their time in the SEC, and he said he recruited Nakobe Dean to come to LSU before Dean committed to the University of Georgia.
Most of all, though, he said: “(The Eagles) are the big dogs around the NFL. Obviously, I consider myself a big dog, so I want to join a big dog and try to help them get to the goal they ultimately want and that’s the championship and that’s what I want.”
White met with reporters at the team’s facility on Tuesday afternoon after signing a one-year contract worth up to $7.5 million but reported as only $3.5 guaranteed.
Not a bad roll of the dice for the Eagles, who hope they are getting the same White who was the fifth overall pick in 2019 and is still just 26, and not the White whose play dipped last year to the point where he was replaced in the starting lineup by K.J. Britt.
White has been a productive player throughout his career, compiling 23 sacks, including nine in his second season, 566 tackles with a career-high 140 in his second season, nine forced fumbles, and three interceptions, two of which came last year.
Devin White
Ed Kracz/SI Eagles Today
White, who wore the green dot communication device inside his helmet for all five of his seasons in Tampa, didn’t want to focus on last year.
“I kind of ended that chapter,” he said. “I wrote a great message to the Buccaneers organization. I’m really just happy and blessed and thankful to open this chapter with the Eagles … None of (the past) really matters to me. I don’t really remember what happened. I’m all tunnel vision on the future, and what can happen in the future here.”
It’s a future that could lead to him and Dean being the team’s starting linebackers.
“Being able to work with him, we can teach each other, we can motivate each other as well, because I used to motivate Lavonte (David) being a younger guy that he wanted to keep up with.
"Now I’m still a young guy and (Dean) is a young guy and I think we just want to beat each other - beat me to the ball, beat me to the building, work harder than me in the weight room. I’m going to challenge him and hopefully, he’s going to challenge me back and we’ll just make each other better.”
The Eagles would like that. It starts with Dean staying healthy.
Part of White’s issues last year were his health, or lack of it. Until last year, he had played all 17 games in his two previous seasons.
Last season, he was nagged by ankle and groin injuries, which began, coincidentally, in Week 3 last year against the Eagles. He had put a lot of work into having another standout season in his contract year, but unable to hammer out a deal heading into his contract year nagged at him, too.
“I think mentally in those times I went through a lot on and off the field and I think I’m just back in a great mental standpoint,” he said. “It’s ball, ball, ball. I don’t think it’s a lot of other distractions going on. Whatever it is, being a father, trying to get a new contract or whatever, it’s right now just ball.
“I think mentally I’m in a better position, like a fresh start position. When I came into the NFL I had no expectations. I just wanted to play ball, have fun, and win games. I think I’m really just focused back into that mindset.”
Having to settle for a one-year deal didn’t faze White, either.
He said that ever since he and his mom stepped off the plane at 8 a.m. on Tuesday he has been smiling ear to ear, mostly because he is healthy and has a chance to prove himself all over again.
“I don’t lack any confidence as far as being on a one-year deal,” he said. “I didn’t shy away from it. I think it was the best thing that happened. Like hey, last year wasn’t who you were, that’s never been Devin White on tape just dealing with everything I dealt with.
“I think it’s a better all-around team built right here, right now to go do great things and I want to be a part of that. … Right now, I have a clean start - zero tackles, zero sacks, zero picks, zero wins and now I’m trying to go earn it all again.”
