Kyzir White Is Already Showing His Versatility At LB
He has only played one preseason series for the Philadelphia Eagles defense, but we already saw Kyzir White’s versatility on display Friday night against the New York Jets. White, who signed a 1 year, $5mil deal with the birds back in March, was one of the more understated signings over what was a very busy offseason for Howie Roseman and the Eagles front office. AJ Brown, Haason Reddick, and James Bradberry were all additions that garnered significant reaction from the fan base, and White has felt more like an afterthought. Now, there is no shame in being overshadowed by those names; the Eagles have arguably had the best retooling of any team in the NFL. However, it would be silly to overlook just how good Kyzir White can be for this team, especially after what we saw in preseason game 1.
That game will not be the only one this year where you see #43 making big plays in midnight green, or white, or black. It’s easy to have missed the early years of White’s career, though, especially considering he spent them out in Los Angeles with the Chargers on a team that the Eagles are rarely concerned with. Let’s remind everyone what exactly he did for the bolts in 2021. The now 26 year old tallied 144 combined tackles, 90 solo, a sack, and 2 interceptions last season. That would’ve been good for the team lead in combined tackles and solo tackles, and a tie for the 2nd most interceptions on the team with Rodney McLeod (only trailing Darius Slay’s 3 picks). That type of linebacker productivity and versatility might make an Eagles fan’s head explode considering what we’ve been subject to over the past couple years, but it’s something to expect from White, who is a converted safety and seems more than comfortable in coverage.
There could very well be some growing pains at points this season for White, who is learning a new system for only the 2nd time in his short professional career, but his athleticism is unquestionable. He will be able to patrol sideline to sideline, cover tight ends and slot receivers, as well as running backs in the passing game, and wrap up anybody within an arm’s length. He might not be an elite player in any of those facets, but being good in all of them could be a huge benefit to an Eagles defense that is poised to be as good as any since the 2017 season. We haven’t seen a lot from any starters yet on either side of the ball, but the early signs from Kyzir White point in a good direction for one of the Eagles’ newest additions.
