Kyzir White, Eagles agree to one-year contract

Philadelphia has a new off-ball linebacker.

Kyzir White and the Philadelphia Eagles agreed to a one-year contract, according to an official team announcement. The deal is reportedly worth up to $5 million.

Bleeding Green Nation recently profiled White as a potential Eagles free agent target. Here’s what we wrote at the time:

As a Macungie, Pennsylvania native (Lehigh county), White has some local ties. He attended Emmaus High School and Lackawanna College before transferring to West Virginia. The 2018 fourth-round pick saw more and more playing time over his four years with the Los Angeles Chargers. Pro Football Focus graded him as their 24th best linebacker last season. Indeed, White showed demonstrated play-making ability with two interceptions, two forced fumbles, one sack, and just a 88.1 passer rating allowed when targeted in coverage. White doesn’t figure to be a total bargain given his ascending status as a young player. But the longer he’s on the market, the more affordable he should be.

White lasted longer on the market than expected, hence the Eagles being able to bring him in at an affordable rate.

Getting on board with this signing shouldn’t be too difficult. The Birds desperately needed help at off-ball linebacker. There’s reason to feel good about T.J. Edwards being a starter entering 2022. Outside of him, though? The Eagles didn’t have any other great options. White figures to be an upgrade on Alex Singleton, who left to join the Denver Broncos.

White only turned 26 a couple of days ago, so there’s potential for him to be a long-term piece in Philly. You know, assuming he doesn’t fall in the footsteps of all the failed linebacker signings from previous offseasons. See: Eric Wilson, Corey Nelson, Zach Brown, Paul Worrilow, Jatavis Brown, etc.

White, a former safety turned linebacker (the Eagles sure have a type, huh?), might offer more promise than those guys. Again, he’s coming off a season where he played his best NFL football. Check out this write-up from Bolts From The Blue (SB Nation’s Los Angeles Chargers blog) dated mid-November 2021:

To kick off this hump day, I want to hear from all of you about which player would you consider to be the biggest surprise from the first half of this season. So which player did you maybe not have the highest of expectations for prior to the year but in the current you look back on and think, “Wow, they’ve been pretty dang good!”

For me, I don’t know how that player isn’t Kyzir White. He’s really taken his game to another level with his physicality and overall nose for the football. He currently leads the team with four tackles for loss and is tied with Asante Samuel Jr. for the team lead in interceptions (two).

He’s been the author of a number of big plays so far this season and you can actually see how much that’s done for him and his confidence up to this point. At times, he looks like a whole new player. We’ll need him to play a big role as the season runs down it’s final stretch, beginning this week with the Vikings coming to town.

Perhaps White will be the one to break the streak and not end up as this year’s token disappointing linebacker signing. The Eagles bringing him in on a one-year deal allows him a chance to prove himself.

It should be noted that the White signing hardly precludes the Eagles from adding more linebacker talent in the 2022 NFL Draft. Will they actually take one in the first round for the first time since 1979? That will be more easily believed when it actually happens. But it’s possible and they’ll be looking to add to the position at some point.