Devin White Claims Bucs Teammates Said Locker Room 'Isn't the Same' Without Him

The talented linebacker had plenty to say about his former team on a recent podcast interview.

NFL Tampa Bay Buccaneers linebacker Devin White / Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

Devin White had quite the roller coaster ride in his five seasons as a member of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

His career started off with a bang in 2019. He was drafted 5th overall out of LSU – an impressive feat for an inside linebacker in this day and age — and he went on to be named to the NFL’s All-Rookie team following that debut season. The following year in 2020, he was a key contributor to the Bucs’ Super Bowl run. In 2021, he was named to the Pro Bowl for the first time, a season that also resulted in him being voted the 28th best player in the NFL by his peers. 

At that time, the present was bright but the future looked even brighter for Devin White. Both on the field, and in his bank account.

But things can change quickly in this league. And in the case of Devin White, that’s exactly what happened.

Starting during the 2022 season, Devin White struggled in several key areas. First of all, it became far too common to see him get exposed in pass coverage. He also started to struggle to shed blockers far too often. He missed more tackles than we were used to after his first few years in the league. And most disappointing of all, there were a number of instances where he appeared to completely give up on a play before the whistle had blown.

Still, due to his tantalizing natural ability, and the sigificant capital the team invested in him when they drafted him fifth overall, the team stayed committed to his development. His head coach, Todd Bowles, remained steadfast in his support for the young linebacker. He continued to defend him to the media, while empowering him on the field through consistent opportunity. 

Still, Devin White’s play and effort continued its downward trajectory over the course of that 2022 season. Then, prior to the 2023 season (the final year of his rookie contract), White requested a trade through his agent. The team, unwilling to accommodate such a request at that time, didn’t balk. When it was all said and done, White eventually realized he needed to play, but put together what was undoubtedly the most disappointing season of his career. By season’s end, White was sharing snaps with K.J. Britt, a fifth round draft pick by the team in 2021. 

All of the aforementioned reasons make it easier to understand why it wasn’t much of a surprise to those in Tampa Bay when earlier this offseason, the Buccaneers’ front office was happy to let Devin White explore free agency. White was not the subject of any bidding wars on the open market — contrary to what he and his agent had envisioned — and he eventually settled for a modest 1-year contract with the Philadelphia Eagles for just $4 million. 

White recently sat down with former NFL players, Ryan Clark, Channing Crowder, and Fred Taylor, who host the Pivot podcast, and he spoke extensively about his time with the Buccaneers.

White claims that injuries played a significant role in his declining performance.

“Injuries play a big factor, he said. “I couldn’t be the best version of myself. I couldn’t stop the dime if I was chasing somebody in the open field. I had one play against the Colts… Gardner Minshew cut back on me. That’s never happened. That’s when I really, after that game, I was like, bro, you got to be more realistic with yourself.” 

READ MORE: Buccaneers Drop First Depth Chart of 2024

He also spoke about his determination to play through the injury in order to pursue personal accolades. 

“I got MRIs and stuff, and you see the bone and edema and all that. But me still not knowing, I said ‘I’ll be good soon, because I need these stats. I need to be All-Pro. I need to be Pro Bowl. Like, I’m on a mission, you know? I’d say I really hurt myself more than I helped myself and my team because I couldn’t be the best version of myself.” 

White also made a point of praising Todd Bowles, whom he views as a “father figure”, before demonstrating his displeasure with an unnamed member of the organization – who logical minds would likely agree is Buccaneers’ GM, Jason Licht. 

“He didn’t like that I wasn’t ready on his terms and that’s kind of when it went really downhill. It was already downhill when I asked for the trade… but when I asked for the trade and tried to do what was best for me, that turned everybody against me. Not everybody, but some higher-up people.”

Now settled into his new surroundings in Philadelphia, White also seems convinced that the Tampa Bay Buccaneers locker room is falling apart without him. Which couldn’t be more contrary to what we are hearing from players coming out of Bucs’ training camp.

“My guys in Tampa still calling me right now saying they miss me, the locker room isn’t the same. But I was the bad guy. I really just want to go out there and have fun. I was just telling a couple of people the other day, ‘I’m just back in that mode’ to where I don’t care about the business, it’s going to take care of itself because I’m a football player.”

It’s easy for comments to get misconstrued when simply reading selected quotes for the purpose of a story, so I highly recommend watching the entire interview before passing judgment on the former Buccaneer’s comments. After all, it’s human nature to try and defend your own perspective. 

That said, I think it’s clearer now than it’s ever been that both the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Devin White stand to benefit from his departure.

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