The Buccaneers benching Devin White in a playoff game is an ominous sign for his Tampa Bay future

Just four years ago, Devin White was an All-Pro caliber linebacker for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in a Super Bowl campaign. Mired by inconsistency and unreliability, those same Buccaneers can’t even trust him in a playoff game anymore.

After already seeing his role significantly reduced during Tampa Bay’s decisive wild-card round win over the Philadelphia Eagles, White made the equivalent of a short cameo at Ford Field. He was so brutal within Todd Bowles’ defensive scheme, that he passed off Josh Reynolds to no one on a crucial early Lions touchdown.

From there on in, it looked like the Buccaneers had enough of White’s mistakes with their season on the line:

Goff to Reynolds puts the @Lions ahead, 10-3!

: #TBvsDET on NBC
: Stream on #NFLPlus https://t.co/frRD38BNYS pic.twitter.com/JKCL0Y5GxL

— NFL (@NFL) January 21, 2024

A former top-five draft pick, White’s future in Tampa Bay might be in doubt. In what was already effectively a contract year for the linebacker, he disappointed, looking nowhere near the kind of franchise player he once resembled in a Buccaneers uniform.

He may well stay with the Buccaneers on a cheaper deal as they regroup following their playoff ouster in Detroit. But after a relatively disappointing 2023 campaign, punctuated by a reduced role in the postseason, White should probably prepare for a new NFL home, just in case.