The Lions just signed Devin White and yes, you read that right
The Detroit Lions signed linebacker Devin White. Former All-Pro Devin White. The same Devin White who was a second-team All-Pro and Pro Bowler in Tampa Bay in 2021.
This is not a drill.
White is 28 years old. He has starting experience. He has a pedigree that most guys in Allen Park can only dream about. And more importantly, he fills a very specific need at weakside linebacker, a spot that has been a legitimate question mark heading into training camp.
Jack Campbell is locked in as the guy. They just made him one of the highest-paid linebackers in the league. Derrick Barnes is still around. They drafted Jimmy Rolder in the fourth round this year. But after that? The depth chart got real thin real fast, and Brad Holmes does not do thin.
So what version of Devin White are we getting here
Let’s be honest about where White is coming from. In Tampa Bay, he was that dude. Second-team All-Pro. Pro Bowl. The whole thing. That was the peak and it was in 2021.
Since then? Philadelphia, Houston, Las Vegas. None of those stops went the way anyone hoped. He posted a 40.1 Pro Football Focus grade with the Raiders, which is not exactly inspiring. But he also started all 17 games, stayed healthy, and showed he can still handle a starting role in this league.
If you are expecting the Tampa Bay version of Devin White to walk through the doors at Allen Park, I have some 0-16 DVDs to sell you. But if he can give the Lions even a fraction of what he was at his best, this could be a sneaky good signing.
Holmes does not make moves like this unless he sees something. That is the track record. You trust it or you do not, and if you have been paying attention the last few years, you trust it.
Who just got put on notice
This signing does not happen in a vacuum. Somebody’s roster spot just got a whole lot shakier.
Damone Clark could be in trouble. Trevor Nowaske could be in trouble. Malcolm Rodriguez might be in the most danger of all, because if Rolder was not going to start on the weak side, Rodriguez had a real shot at that spot. Now that path is crowded and White has a hell of a lot more on his resume than Rodriguez does.
This is one of the bigger-name signings the Lions have made in a while and it puts real pressure on the back end of that linebacker room. If you are a bubble guy, you better show up Sunday.
Is this about Rolder’s injury
Here is the other wrinkle. Rolder left the field with an injury the other day. We do not know how serious it is. We do not know if it is a week thing or a season thing. Maybe this signing speaks to that. Maybe it does not.
Either way, the timing is worth watching. The Lions are back at training camp Sunday and we will know more then.
Until then, the Lions have a former All-Pro linebacker on the roster and a suddenly very interesting competition at weakside linebacker. In a year where every edge matters, that is not nothing.
Does Devin White have anything left in the tank or are we about to get our hopes up for no damn reason again? Sound off below.
