Eagles release Devin White, clearing a potential return to Tampa Bay

It took the Philadelphia Eagles fewer than five games to realize that Devin White wasn't a fit.

White was released on Tuesday, ending his time with the Eagles before it could even start. Philly might be four games into their season, but White hasn't played in a single one of them and will leave the Eagles not having played a down for the team.

He made a big deal about leaving Tampa Bay and signing a one-year deal this offseason, but it's a journey that is already over and has White looking for work less than halfway through the season.

ESPN's Adam Schefter broke the news on Tuesday afternoon:

White signed with the Eagles back in March after the Bucs refused to offer him a deal to stick around in Tampa Bay. It was the culmination of an absolutely brutal year on all fronts for White, as he not only lost his starting job but also burned every bridge to a potential return in free agency.

Back in April 2023, White requested a trade when he wasn't hearing numbers he liked in contract extension talks with the Bucs. It was reported that he wanted to be paid like a top linebacker in the league, a deal that would have been around $100 million, but Tampa Bay wouldn't meet him there.

What followed was one of White's worst seasons in the NFL. He was plagued by injuries and poor performance, and while he showed some flashes of the guy he once was it became clear that we were headed toward a breakup.

He was made a healthy inactive in Week 15, which created some controversey for how it was handled but signaled the end of the road for White in Tampa Bay -- at least for the time being.

After he arrived in Philly, White wasted no time trashing his old team. He couldn't keep the Bucs' name out of his mouth all offseason, which was both a stunning display of immaturity and sad confirmation that the team was right to let him walk.

Could Devin White return to Buccaneers after being released by Eagles?

Now we reach a crossroads for both White and the Bucs.

White hasn't played a single down this season, being ruled inactive for all four of Philly's games this year. Meanwhile, Tampa Bay is down bad at inside linebacker, with K.J. Britt struggling and SirVocea Dennis on IR.

Naturally, this creates a universe where fences are mended and White returns to the Bucs. The question is whether or not it's a universe we're living in, which doesn't seem to be the case.

Yes, there's logic behind the two sides getting back together, but it might not be practical. White nuked every bridge he had on his way out, and the team made it clear they weren't interested in bringing him back. There were also reports that he rubbed the locker room the wrong way with his attitude during the 1-6 slump last year, so it's bigger than simply having a need on the depth chart that White fills.

Maybe he makes his way back, but the likeliest outcome is that the Bucs stay the course and use internal talent to fill gaps, while White hopes that the third time is the charm as far as getting his career back on track.

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