The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have done well to minimze most of the drama that tends to plague most other NFL teams during the last few weeks. The one exception has been the departure of former face of the defense and captain Devin White.
White was one of the most important players during his time with the Bucs, but a downturn in play mixed with a trade request started to cause the fanbase to turn against him this time last year. Then, White signed with the Eagles in free agency and appeared to take several shots at the Buccaneers while being introduced by his new team.
Todd Bowles wasn't going to let that slide. It looks like he took some shots of his own while defending the next man up on the depth chart.
Bowles today on LB K.J. Britt: "We're not running the 40. He's a football player. You've got to get around him to use your speed. K.J., what he lacks in two steps in the speed department, he makes up for being in the right place and understanding the game. You can play fast and…
— Greg Auman (@gregauman) March 26, 2024
This comment may seem normal for fans of other teams, but Bucs fans know exactly what Bowles is saying here.
Todd Bowles is spot-on defending the Bucs against Devin White’s comments
Devin White is one of the most athletic players to ever play linebacker. His speed and athleticism were huge draws to him as a player. However, this athleticism struggled to help White in more areas than one. There were many situations in the past few years where White's body would move faster than his head, and the resulting plays while out of position hurt the Bucs. That and injuries led to K.J. Britt starting to see action.
White's play and a trade request after the Bucs didn't give him a massive payday made it seem like Britt was going to be the LB2 in Tampa early last year. Sadly, Tampa never moved on from their star, and White playing over Britt hurt the Buccaneer defense in 2023.
With White finally out, the Bucs do have a chance to get better on defense. First, the room just got much cheaper, and, perhaps more importantly, K.J. Britt is a better linebacker than White based on the pure ability to read the field and play the game.
Sure, Britt may not be as fast as White or get to the quarterback with the same ferocity, but he is cheaper, a much more sound defender, and won't be out of position as much as White was.
This comment by Todd Bowles is acknowledging that here while making it clear that a guy having traits and athleticism isn't everything in the modern NFL.
Hopefully Britt ends up working out well for the Buccaneers.