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USA Today Sports Media Group
USA Today Sports Media Group
Sport
Robert Zeglinski

The Buccaneers benching Devin White in a playoff game is an ominous sign for his Tampa Bay future

Just four years ago, Devin White was an All-Pro caliber linebacker for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in a Super Bowl campaign. Mired by inconsistency and unreliability, those same Buccaneers can’t even trust him in a playoff game anymore.

After already seeing his role significantly reduced during Tampa Bay’s decisive wild-card round win over the Philadelphia Eagles, White made the equivalent of a short cameo at Ford Field. He was so brutal within Todd Bowles’ defensive scheme, that he passed off Josh Reynolds to no one on a crucial early Lions touchdown.

From there on in, it looked like the Buccaneers had enough of White’s mistakes with their season on the line:

A former top-five draft pick, White’s future in Tampa Bay might be in doubt. In what was already effectively a contract year for the linebacker, he disappointed, looking nowhere near the kind of franchise player he once resembled in a Buccaneers uniform.

He may well stay with the Buccaneers on a cheaper deal as they regroup following their playoff ouster in Detroit. But after a relatively disappointing 2023 campaign, punctuated by a reduced role in the postseason, White should probably prepare for a new NFL home, just in case.

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