NFL teams rarely sign a free agent in March only to trade the player in September, but that’s exactly what ESPN’s Dan Graziano thinks the Philadelphia Eagles should do with demoted middle linebacker Devin White.
Listing his top candidates to move prior to the 2024 NFL trade deadline, Graziano pitched White as a potential trade target of the Buffalo Bills, who will be without star inside linebacker Matt Milano for the majority of the season due to a torn biceps muscle.
Here’s Graziano’s take on why the Eagles should look to move White:
The 26-year-old former Buccaneers star signed a one-year, $4 million contract with the Eagles this offseason, but he lost the starting middle linebacker job to Nakobe Dean. He sat out the first game of the season because of an ankle injury but was a healthy inactive for the Week 2 Monday night game against the Falcons. Of the $4 million the Eagles gave him, more than half was in the form of a signing bonus, so he'd be an extremely cheap veteran option for a team in need. White had 83 tackles and two interceptions last season in Tampa Bay.
Graziano could be on to something here. Eagles coaches said it was due to numbers on special teams, but it was surprising to see a player with White’s NFL chops listed as a healthy inactive against the Atlanta Falcons in Week 2.
White, who signed a 1-year deal worth up to $7.5 million with the Eagles this offseason, was being groomed as the team’s starting middle linebacker throughout training camp. There was zero indication otherwise, based on the distribution of first-team reps. The twist in this saga came the day before Philly’s flight to Brazil to face the Green Bay Packers in Week 1.
According to head coach Nick Sirianni, White tweaked his ankle during practice that week, resulting in him missing the trip to South America. Nakobe Dean started the Packers game, and was promptly named the starter over White going forward when the Eagles returned home. White practiced in full that week with his ankle issue and was not listed on the injury report. He was still a healthy scratch for the Falcons game.
White has said all the right things publicly since being benched for Dean. When asked about the decision to make White inactive last week, defensive coordinator Vic Fangio responded with a vague: “He’s practicing, staying attentive and ready to roll.”
More like he’s healthy and ready to roll to another team, like Buffalo. This is not typically how business gets done in the NFL, but if the Eagles have soured on the signing, White’s still a young enough big name to fetch something before the Nov. 5 trade deadline.
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