Is Devin White Overrated?

With the Bucs dropping to 3-5 after a disastrous 27-22 loss to the Baltimore Ravens, Bucs fans are searching for answers on both sides of the ball. The drop in Devin White’s play has been noticeable this season.

Outside of the lackluster play by the offense, many have taken a notice of the drop-off in play from 2019 1st-round pick Devin White. The fourth-year linebacker has definitely shown signs of decline in his play this season compared to the past few seasons. Last season, White accumulated 90 tackles with 4 sacks, although he’s on a good pace this season. According to ESPN, Devin White is currently tied for 11th in the NFL with 46 solo tackles and 3 sacks.

Where’s his decline happening then?

It’s his overreaction to the play. Whereas Jason Pierre-Paul and Shaquil Barrett clouded those flaws. It is now evident. Devin White also lacks the ability to break blocks to cause those splash plays. Unfortunately, only one player on the Bucs line demands offensive linemen to double-team them, and that player is Vita Vea. With no disrespect to the rest of the defensive line, they don’t demand doubles the way Vita does or the way Suh once did. The offense’s also once carried the responsibility of having to maintain JPP as well.

White also has been able to cause chaos by forcing turnovers, which previously would help swing the momentum of games. The Bucs currently are at the bottom of the league in regards to stopping the run and seem to struggle with keeping opposing teams out of the endzone. White may not be the lone blame on defense, but you can easily see his downhill play with the absence of JPP and Suh this season, and has the potential to get worse now that Shaq Barrett has landed on the IR with an Achilles injury.