Buccaneers need to face hard truth on Pro Bowl defender

Tampa Bay Buccaneers (Photo by Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images)
Tampa Bay Buccaneers (Photo by Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images)

What do the Buccaneers really have in Devin White?

A lot of Buccaneers fans aren’t going to be happy about this discourse, but this is one of those conversations that has to happen.

The NFL is a tough world that doesn’t play favorites. The teams that can make the difficult decisions and separate feelings from logic on decisions about team personnel tend to do the best in the long run, and it is time for the Buccaneers to spend serious time talking about Devin White.

White was a bright draft pick with an equally bright future ahead after he was able to work out a few weak points in his game. With a mix of dominant athleticism and a bubbly personality, White was positioned to be one of the faces of the defense after the Buccaneers took him fifth overall.

Unfortunately, the Devin White experience has been more of a roller coaster than a pleasurable ride, and the Buccaneers have to accept this before they break the bank for such a streaky player.

White’s 2020 season was stellar and it may be what most fans are still holding onto as they defend the young player and his future with the Bucs, but we have to look at the whole picture here.

This Twitter thread by ESPN’s Mike Clay does an excellent job pointing out some of the most concerning parts of White’s game.

In summary, the thread shows a player that was otherworldly as a pass rusher in 2020, decent rushing the passer in 2021, and below average at the other roles for the position during all three years.

This is a tough pill to swallow, but the numbers do tell the whole story here.

Devin White is not an All-Pro nor should he be in the All-Pro conversation, even with his impressive 2020 season in mind. The Pro Bowl nod in 2021 was nice, but even Bucs fans should be able to admit that this had much more to do with name than performance on the field.

As Bucs fans have seen with Jamal Adams, devoting too much to a guy that struggles at some of the main jobs for a position is a dangerous game, whcih means the Buccaneers have some difficult conversations coming up in regards to one of their highest picks on the roster.

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