Broncos Urged & Cautioned to Sign Recently Released LB Devin White

Devin White is a free agent now. Should the Denver Broncos pounce?

Dec 25, 2022; Glendale, Arizona, USA; Tampa Bay Buccaneers linebacker Devin White (45) against the Arizona Cardinals at State Farm Stadium. / Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

Entering Week 6, the Denver Broncos' inside linebacker room looks almost entirely different than it did a year ago. Josey Jewell signed with the Carolina Panthers this past offseason, while fellow starter — Alex Singleton — was lost for the season following an ACL tear suffered in Week 3.

The Broncos' new inside linebacker tandem is Cody Barton and former fifth-rounder Justin Strnad. Before the season, such a starting duo would have sent Broncos Country to pounding the table, demanding the team find a way to upgrade. But Barton and Strnad have been more than solid. They've been excellent.

And yet, an opportunity has arisen for the Broncos to add another inside linebacker to the mix. The Philadelphia Eagles released Devin White earlier this week. While some Broncos fans have campaigned on social media on his behalf, most in-the-know fans urge the team to pass on this particular linebacker.

Here are the top arguments Broncos Country has made for signing White — a former 2019 first-round pick of Tampa Bay out of LSU with a Pro Bowl nod and a Super Bowl ring on his resume.

yes, we have a need at lb. maybe vj can get him to play well. with singleton hurt it wouldn't hurt to sign white as a backup.

— Stephen Curtis (@beast7326) October 9, 2024

Devin White (when healthy & confident) is the BEST blitzing LB in the league. So even using him in situational downs w/ this defense who blitzes more than almost everyone in the league bc they cover better than everyone would make this defense legendary

— Jdawg (@19jyoung) October 9, 2024

Was my favorite player coming out of that draft. Don’t understand how he’s fallen off at such a young age, but I’d take that talent and add to the team in a heartbeat

— Suga Caramel (@alex_arritola) October 9, 2024

It would be interesting to see how a blitz-happy defensive coordinator like Vance Joseph could deploy a player like White. Alas, the arguments against kicking White's tires, at this point, might make more sense.

No. He was the worst LB in the league over the past 3 years

— Kodiak Broncos YT (@KodiakBroncos) October 9, 2024

I'd rather not. I think he might not fit with the evolving culture in Denver. The guys play for each other and especially the D. I doubt that he's that guy. Can remember him taking plays of and missing his assignments and so on in Tampa.

— Kathi Schmidldiddl (@KathiDB4Life) October 9, 2024

There is a reason he isn't playing. I say if it ain't broke, then we don't have to try and fix it. Roll with the guys we have.

— Peter Johnson (@weasel_johnson) October 9, 2024

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Bottom Line

White is only 26 years old, and he's a freakish athlete, but the NFL has to find out why he so spectacularly failed to launch in Philly, after signing a one-year, $4 million deal. And why the Tampa Bay Buccaneers opted to get out of the White business, despite him being a former top-5 draft pick and Pro Bowler.

White did not play a snap for the Eagles. One of the reasons why he fell out of favor early was an ankle injury. Combined with his lack of special-teams value, the Eagles had difficulty convincing themselves to fix what wasn't broken.

“That's not an easy situation," Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni said of White. "I can't say enough good things about Devin and how he handled that really hard situation. Sometimes guys have roles on special teams, etc. And just in this particular case, this is where we were and just how it played out.”

Again, the dude is a phenomenal athlete, but Bucs head coach Todd Bowles — a defensive expert — turned his back on White, and that's the first red flag. The second is how the Eagles wrote off a sizable one-year investment to move on.

It would be a different story, perhaps, if Barton and Strnad weren't playing so well. Neither is exactly a world-beater, but they're delivering each week for the Broncos defense.

Plus, in the wake of Singleton's injury, the Broncos hedged their bets on Barton and Strnad by signing two veterans to the practice squad: Kwon Alexander and Zach Cunningham. No one expected Denver to elevate one of them in Week 4 because the turnaround was so short, but it was curious that neither was bumped to the gameday roster in Week 5.

That might change in Week 6 with the Los Angeles Chargers coming to town because depth linebacker Kristian Welch left much to be desired last Sunday vs. the Las Vegas Raiders, missing a read, which led to one of the few explosive plays the Broncos defense has relinquished this season. It would surprise me if Alexander, in particular, isn't elevated on Sunday.

At the end of the day, though, White is a luxury the still-cap-strapped Broncos can't afford. And the truth is, they don't need him.

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