Eagles Pro Bowl Defender to Miss Week 1 Opener vs Packers

The Philadelphia Eagles will be without one of their best defenders and most significant free-agent signings this offseason when they open the season in São Paulo, Brazil in Week 1 against the Green Bay Packers.

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Linebacker Devin White did not travel with the team to Brazil, and will miss their Week 1 matchup with an ankle injury.

Senior NFL reporter for Sports Illustrated, Albert Breer, shared that there were murmurs that the Eagles would trade White prior to the roster cutdowns on Aug. 27. Now, they’ll be without him in Week 1.

The Eagles will miss a valuable piece to their defense in a potential playoff preview in Week 1. White practiced Sunday and Monday and was limited on Tuesday, the team’s final practice in Philadelphia.

The Eagles didn’t release an injury report on Tuesday, but they updated it on Wednesday, and it downgraded White from limited to out. In place of White will be Zack Baun and Nakobe Dean, who will likely start on Friday. The others who might play a key role on Friday are linebackers Oren Burks, Ben VanSumeren, and rookie Jeremiah Trotter Jr.

Although the Eagles have depth, none come close to the production that White would have brought. The former No. 5 overall pick in the 2019 NFL Draft has panned out a solid career for himself. In five NFL seasons, White has collected 566 total tackles, 40 tackles for loss, 64 quarterback hits, three interceptions, 21 passes defended, six forced fumbles, nine fumble recoveries, and 23 sacks in 76 career games and 75 starts.

White is also a one-time Pro Bowler and Super Bowl champion with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He is an original Buccaneer draft pick and signed a one-year deal with the Eagles this past offseason.

It’s been a less-than-ideal training camp for the Pro Bowl linebacker. White didn’t have a very active training camp but got the first set of reps with the starting defense all but one day.

The Eagles will look to establish themselves as one of the top defenses in the league after a lackluster 2023 season. In 2023, they finished the season ranked 30th in opponent points per game (25.6), 26th in opponent yards per game (360), 25th in opponent yards per play (5.5), and 30th in opponent touchdowns per game (3.0).

White should provide some punch to the Eagles’ defense this season; however, they’ll have to wait for him until they return to the United States.

The Eagles and Packers will kick off their seasons on Friday, Sept. 6, at 5:15 p.m. PT/8:15 p.m ET on Peacock.

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