With rumors swirling of Devin White requesting a trade, where would he fit best? White is a former All-American, Super Bowl champion, and Pro Bowl caliber player. He has led the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in almost every defensive statistical category since he was a rookie. Most teams would view White as a huge upgrade at inside linebacker, but five teams stand out as top Devin White trade destinations.
Devin White has requested a trade, per @AdamSchefter.
— Word On The Birds (@WordOnTheBirds) April 11, 2023
Top 5 Devin White Trade Destinations
Pittsburgh Steelers
Yes, they just signed Cole Holcomb and Elandon Roberts. They have certainly bolstered the position, but still lack a proven playmaker at the position. White brings a different level to their linebacker corps, and there’s a chance White was their first choice of linebacker back when they selected Devin Bush in the same class. With just under $10 million in cap space, the Steelers have some room but will need to restructure some contracts to make the move. Some prime trade, cut, or restructure candidates include Diontae Johnson, Derek Watt and Cam Heyward (again).
Los Angeles Chargers
The Chargers defense needs some help. After losing their leading tackler Kyzir White in 2022 free agency, they ranked towards the bottom in every statistical category on defense. It should be noted the Chargers have plenty of space to make the move, and most of the key pieces in place outside of linebacker to have a serviceable defense in 2023. If the Chargers want to take the next step as a serious playoff contender, adding a former Pro Bowler is a solid move. The AFC West is going to be centered around slowing down the Kansas City Chiefs for the foreseeable future. The Chargers need to upgrade to stop Patrick Mahomes.
Detroit Lions
The Lions just traded away a former first round pick in order to make some additional cap space. Now why would that be? They now have plenty of cap space, plenty of draft capital, an ascending team that just needs to add the last infinity stone to their gauntlet. Dan Campbell would love Devin White and his sideline-to-sideline ability. Campbell is famous for his “ankle-biting” mentality, and if Devin White is looking to move to a contender the Lions are actually on that list this year. This team is close to the favorites in the NFC North for the first time in forever, and now could be the time to push in all of the chips. Brad Holmes should be calling up Tampa Bay as soon as possible.
Buffalo Bills
The Bills are a tricky team. They just let Tremaine Edmunds walk. As a result, they have a 6′-5″ sized hole in the center of their defense. The Bills have been bounced from the playoffs earlier than they had expected the last two years. As the Bills look to remain the cream of the crop in the AFC, a Devin White trade should certainly be in the cards. Unfortunately for Buffalo fans, they have minimal cap space and would have to do some serious book work to make space. Maybe even trade a certain wide receiver away?
Carolina Panthers
A young quarterback’s best friend is a good defense. A good defense needs a great inside linebacker. Whoever the Panthers plan on selecting first overall, they had to move draft capital playmakers to move up. With that in mind, their best way to accumulate talent is through disgruntled veterans for later picks while they can afford to pay them big money. The Panthers currently have the second most cap space according to spotrac, and could certainly afford to upgrade. An inside linebacker duo of Shaq Thompson and Devin White would be up there with the best in the league.
