Forgotten LSU star could be the Bengals' perfect free agency gamble

The Cincinnati Bengals have a repulsive linebacker corps that they spent all of last year trying to overhaul. No offense (well, some I guess) to Demetrius Knight Jr. and Barrett Carter, but they were absolute cheeks in 2025.

Cheeks as in buttocks cheeks. I would prefer the Bengals to triple-dip on linebackers this offseason (2x in free agency, once more via draft). I anticipate reality disappointing me as it often does with this franchise.

So who'd be a realistic, low-cost/risk, possibly high-reward free agent to target? How about someone who shares an alma mater with Joe Burrow and Ja'Marr Chase?

2019 top-5 pick & Super Bowl champion could be just what Bengals' linebacker corps needs

What if I told you a stoutly-built, super-athletic, 250-pound linebacker was on the free-agent market and would cost relative pennies on the dollar by NFL starter standards?

Yeah. This guy was third in the league last season with 95 solo tackles. His name is Devin White.

I know, I know. Weird guy to bring aboard in Cincinnati. White has his shortcomings and a rather reckless play style. That's earned him a reputation for often being out of position and not making plays that are there to be had.

Box score scouting linebackers is dangerous. Relying on tackling numbers alone can be a misguided practice. The more advanced stats on White paint a different narrative than one that often plagues him.

White has a reputation for being dreadful in coverage. Once upon a time, he made a decisive interception on Drew Brees during the Tom Brady-Bucs Super Bowl run.

That's not all, though.

Over the last three seasons, too, White has improved in that area more than he's given credit for. In addition to posting a 92.5 passer rating allowed in 2025 (per PFF), here are the last few years in aggregate for the 27-year-old: 123 completions on 163 pass attempts, 1,075 yards, two TDs, three INTs, and an 88.9 passer rating against.

Quarterbacks from this last season in that 88.9 ballpark include renowned precision passer Justin Fields (89.5), renowned lover of the sport of football Kyler Murray (88.6), and renowned-not-washed-at-all savvy vet Kirk Cousins (84.8).

Do I need to explain the joke there, or do you got me?

Another question: Wanna know the respective passer ratings allowed by Knight and Carter as rookies? Try 115.7 and 114.6.

So Devin White is a superior athlete who's superior in coverage. On 792 regular-season pass rush snaps, he has a pressure rate of 21.7% and 25.5 sacks.

White has way more of a nose for the football than Knight and Carter combined versus the run, too. Despite being involved in so many more plays over such a larger sample size, White's 13% missed tackle rate is better than either Bengals incumbent.

Can we also talk about how White just had to play for the freaking Las Vegas Raiders? What a disaster they were across the board in Pete Carroll's one-and-done tenure.

The fact that White did anything of substance in Vegas and kept pushing through the agony/embarrassment of that nightmare season is a testament to his professionalism.

Not even trying to gaslight myself into believing Devin White is some truly elite player. In terms of his versatility to play on the edge, his proven pass rush production, his overblown alleged issues in pass coverage, and his status as a Super Bowl winner, he'd be quite the addition to Cincinnati's locker room.

Spotrac projects White's average annual value in a new contract to be less than $3 million. Sounds like quite the bargain to me.