Buccaneers LB Devin White a healthy scratch for Week 15 vs. Packers
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers (6-7) have ruled out linebacker Devin White for the Week 15 road tilt against the Green Bay Packers (6-7) Sunday.
According to Stacey Dales of NFL Network, the decision to sit White is not injury related. The move was simply head coach Todd Bowles’ decision. White, who has missed the last two games with a foot injury, practiced all week and was expected to assume his starting role next to Lavonte David. Bowles and the Buccaneers are instead going in a different direction, and third-year linebacker K.J. Britt will get the start alongside David. Britt played well in place of White in the 29-25 Week 14 victory over the Atlanta Falcons (6-7) last Sunday, tallying eight tackles (four solo) and one pass defended.
Devin White having down year ahead of free agency
White, meanwhile, is in his final season under contract with the Buccaneers. The 2019 fifth overall pick out of LSU requested a trade this offseason after the team didn’t give him the long-term extension he desired. White reportedly was seeking a five-year, $100 million contract. During training camp, White called his actions “selfish.”
“I don’t think it’s no regrets,” White said, via Pewter Report. “I don’t think it’s just about being paid. It’s just about being a guy who was drafted here and doing a lot for this program. I just want to be the long-term guy. You know, I just want to be a guy like Lavonte, who’s been here forever. I wanted to be that next guy. And we just didn’t make it happen when I wanted it to. And that’s where I kind of get a little bit selfish. Even knowing I still had the fifth-year option and that was the thing in play.”
White, 25, is currently playing under his fifth-year option, worth a base salary of $11.706 million. In 11 games, he’s recorded 69 tackles (39 solo), three tackles for loss, 2.0 sacks and one interception. White has graded out as one of the worst linebackers in the league this season, earning a 39.2 overall grade from Pro Football Focus.