Eagles May Need a Big Game From Kyzir White vs. Unconventional Giants

PHILADELPHIA - Howie Roseman made plenty of impactful acquisitions leading up to a 2022-23 regular season that produced a franchise record 14 wins for the Eagles and a top-5 offense and defense.

Receiver A.J. Brown, pass rusher Haason Reddick and cornerback James Bradberry highlighted the list by each earning second-team All-Pro honors but there were plenty of other meaningful additions, and one of them, linebacker Kyzir White, figures to play an important role in Saturday night’s divisional round playoffs against the New York Giants.

At 6-foot-2 and 234 pounds, the one-time college safety is the type of athlete that the modern NFL demands at the LB position, one that’s only amplified when Saquon Barkley and Daniel Jones are the top threats on the other side.

White and Barkley have been rivals since high school when the two Lehigh County natives starred at Emmaus High School and Whitehall High School, respectively.

White, 26, played running back, WR, and cornerback at Emmaus and earned first-team All-Lehigh Valley Interscholastic Athletic Conference after shifting to defense as a senior. His brothers Kevin and Ka’Raun were also stars at Emmaus and eventually landed at WVU with the latter being a first-round pick of the Chicago Bears in 2015.

When Barkley, 25, was drafted No. 2 overall by the Giants in 2018 he became the highest-drafted player from the Lehigh Valley since the Eagles chose Chuck Bednarik with the No. 1 overall pick in 1949.

At Whitehall, Barkley rushed for 3,646 yards with 63 touchdowns from his sophomore to senior seasons, including 1,856 yards and 31 touchdowns as a senior.[

“Yeah, we played together," said White on Wednesday. "I played him three years in high school. I mean the player you see now, he was doing everything he’s doing now, he was doing back in high school.

"Always been a really good player.”

Since arriving in the NFL Barkley has amassed three 1,000-yard rushing seasons, including a career-high 1,312 in 2022. What sets Barkley apart, though, is receiving skills and the ability to dominate in space.

The Penn State product topped out with 91 receptions as a rookie and had had over 50 receptions three times.

“He’s an explosive running back so as a linebacker you just got to read your keys, be on your keys and get to your spots quick because he’s one of the best running backs in the game," White said. "You really gotta be honed in."

That's because the touches are coming.

“.You definitely want to get your best player, the ball in their hands so the offense runs through him," White said. "We expect (the Giants) to get him a lot of touches and we are looking forward to the challenge.”

When it’s not Barkley, the Giants plan may also want to use the mobility of QB Daniel Jones, who is coming off a 17-carry, 78-yard performance in New York’s 31-24 wild-card win over Minnesota.

“He can do a lot with his feet,” White said of Jones. “They won’t be foreign to me. We see it all the time with Jalen (Hurts) so I know that’s getting us prepared.”

White hadn’t been honed in late in the season with two uncharacteristic performances at Dallas and against New Orleans before rebounding with a nice effort in the 22-16 win in Week 18 against the Giants.

Overall, though, he has been as advertised, playing in all 17 regular-season games and 76% of the defensive snaps. He recorded his second consecutive 100-tackle season with 110, three of those for loss, while also accumulating three quarterback hits, five QB pressures, and seven passed defended.

Saturday’s game might be White’s biggest test of the season whether he’s being asked to use his speed to keep up with the work in the flats against Barkley or spying on Jones.

-John McMullen contributes Eagles coverage for SI.com's Eagles Today and is the NFL Insider for JAKIB Media. You can listen to John, alongside legendary sports-talk host Jody McDonald every morning from 8-10 on ‘Birds 365,” streaming live on YouTube. John is also the host of his own show "Football 24/7 and a daily contributor to ESPN South Jersey. You can reach him at jmcmullen44@gmail.com or on Twitter @JFMcMullen