The Eagles on Tuesday afternoon released veteran linebacker Devin White, who was signed to be a starter but had been inactive for the first quarter of the season.
White, 26, did not play a single snap for the Eagles before his release.
White was beat out by Nakobe Dean for the middle linebacker job in training camp and was inactive for the first four games on the Eagles’ schedule before the bye week.
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Before the move on Tuesday, the Eagles and White reached an agreement, according to a league source. The Eagles released White now so he’ll become a free agent immediately, instead of waiting until after the trade deadline when he would be subject to waivers. In return, White agreed to terms that could provide some financial savings for the team, likely through offset language.
The Eagles signed White in March to a one-year deal worth $4 million, which included $3.5 million guaranteed. The plan was for the 26-year-old former first-round pick to rejuvenate his career in Philadelphia on a prove-it deal.
Instead, White failed to separate himself and was actually beat out by Dean in training camp. White missed the first game of the season with an injury and missed Week 4 for “personal reasons” but the writing was on the wall. Barring injury, he wasn’t going to play this season. And even though he publicly handled the demotion well, he clearly wasn’t happy being sent to the bench.
“At the end of the day, it's not my call,” White said on Sept. 12. “I’ll just do what's asked of me and just stay ready. Whether I go out there the last two minutes of the game or the first play of the game, I’ve just got to be ready and just be able to give this team all I have.
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“Because that's what I came here to do. Just rewrite my story for my career. However that plays out, I don't control that. I just leave that in God's hand and I stay ready. I don't cry, don't mope around. I just come to work and be a pro about everything.”
Because White didn’t offer much on special teams, he was destined to be a weekly healthy scratch. Now, he’ll presumably get a chance to continue is career elsewhere.
The Eagles will continue to start Dean and Zack Baun as their two off-ball linebackers. They also have Oren Burks, Ben VanSumeren and rookie Jeremiah Trotter Jr. as their backups and special teams contributors at the position. White became more expendable after the Eagles realized that Baun had the ability to play off the ball.
White was the No. 5 overall pick by the Buccaneers out of LSU back in 2019 and his career got off to a promising start. He was even a Pro Bowler in 2021. But he fell out of favor in 2023 and was benched by head coach Todd Bowles in Tampa. He was supposed to have a chance to turn his career around in Philly but that short-lived chapter is now over.
After the release, the Eagles have one open spot on their 53-man roster. They opened the practice windows for safety Sydney Brown and receiver Ainias Smith on Monday so perhaps one of them can take the spot if they progress quickly enough.
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