Buccaneers need massive game from quiet star against Saints

Devin White has the talent to be one of the best linebackers in the NFL, and the Buccaneers need their young star to return to his 2020 form versus the Saints.

Expectations are a dangerous concept in the NFL. Preseason rankings and projected stats based on prior seasons make it easy to overreact to players at the start of a season, which is precisely what is happening for Devin White and the Buccaneers.

White put the league on notice last season with dominant performances in the regular season and in the playoffs. Nine sacks from the inside linebacker position, 140 regular-season tackles, and a few well-timed picks had the league declaring White one of the best backers in the league, but these stats haven’t shown up this season.

This isn’t to say White is a bad player. Stats don’t tell the whole story, and White has the physical tools to make any offense spend extra time on their game plan.

Regardless, the lack of any significant stats does come as a surprise, and White will do much more for his coming contract negotiations if he can find a way to get on the stat sheet starting this weekend.

The Saints are one of the best teams in the league, and the Bucs will need White to have his best game of the year to keep them under wraps. Jameis Winston has no issues running with the ball, and Alvin Kamara is a massive threat as a runner and as a receiver, meaning White should see plenty of key plays.

Fortunately for the Bucs, Devin White is no stranger to stepping up when the team needs it most. That isn’t to say White will have five sacks and picks in the same game, but he would help the team plenty by finding his way onto the stat sheet.

The Saints don’t want any part of a Devin White playing on fire, and this looks like the perfect game for him to turn his season around statistically.