Philadelphia Eagles defensive coordinator Vic Fangio made it official earlier this week, Nakobe Dean has supplanted veteran Devin White in the starting lineup.
“I just think from the start of camp to the end, he won the job,” Fangio told reporters, when asked whether Dean would remain the starter, even if White returns from an injury.
White, who signed a one-year prove-it deal with the Eagles this offseason worth $4 million, will now be relegated to backup duty despite initial expectations that he would provide a boost and steady veteran presence to a position group that has struggled mightily in recent years.
Prior to practice on Thursday, White sounded off on tumbling down the depth chart after taking the vast majority of first-team practice reps this spring and throughout training camp.
“The way the snap count went, the things I did on the field preseason-wise,” White told reporters, of being surprised that he had been demoted from being a starter. “At the end of the day it’s not my call.”
There were even reports following final roster cuts last month that the Eagles were shopping White in trade conversations. Now, White is coming to grips with being a backup.
“It was hard,” White admitted. “But, at the end of the day, it’s football. Those guys make those decisions, you have to live with them, be prepared when your number is called, just to go out there and handle your business.”
Devin White Opens Up About Tumbling Down Philadelphia Eagles Depth Chart
The Eagles made White inactive for the regular season opener against the Green Bay Packers, in Brazil, a contest that saw Dean post four total tackles.
“I can just do what’s asked of me and stay ready,” White said. “Whether I go out there the last two minutes of the game or to start the game, I just have to be ready to give this team all that I have. That’s what I came here to do, to rewrite my story for my career. I don’t control that, I leave that in God’s hands ands tay ready. I don’t cry, don’t mope around, just come to work and be a pro about everything.”
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