Former Steelers OG Thinks The Team Could Pick Up An Elite Off-Ball LB In 2024

The Pittsburgh Steelers' only issue this offseason isn't the one regarding their quarterbacks, they have other needs that have to be addressed. That includes finding a great inside linebacker. For a team that has been defined by its smothering defenses over the years, they have certainly struggled with finding an inside linebacker since Ryan Shazier's career was tragically cut short in 2017.

The poor gameplay often wasn't entirely the team's fault. For example, in 2023, they had six different insider linebackers play 131 snaps or more because the group was decimated by injury after injury. That included Cole Holcomb, who suffered a severe knee injury and Kwon Alexander, who had an Achilles tendon injury. 

However, the most prominent disappointment at inside linebacker in recent memory is that of Devin Bush. Now, one former Steelers' player says that he doesn't even think the organization originally wanted Bush and it looks like it might be possible for them to get the player they wanted via free agency. 

Steelers Could Make A Move To Get Devin White

When the Steelers drafted Bush in 2019 out of the University of Michigan, they moved up the draft board to get him at 10th overall. To make that move, Pittsburgh traded their first-round pick at 20, their second-round pick, and a third-round pick in 2020 with the Denver Broncos. But Ramon Foster said that wasn't the Devin they were after. 

Foster, a former Steelers' offensive guard, now co-hosts a podcast on DK Pittsburgh Sports called The Ramon Foster Show with Pittsburgh sports reporter Dejan Kovacevic. On a recent episode, he was asked who he thinks the Steelers are likely to go after in free agency. He was quick to answer Devin White, who currently plays for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. 

"I wanted Devin White then. Can I be a conspiracy theorist for a second? I think, personally, when they moved up in '19, that's the Devin they were wanting or hoping they could get. I think at the time, they thought Devin Bush was capable of growing into being that side-to-side thumper that they wanted. I think the Devin they wanted went to Tampa. Devin White was the guy," shared an enthusiastic Foster.

White, who played college football for LSU, came out the same year as Bush and went just five picks ahead, fifth overall, to the Buccaneers where he has been his whole career. He helped Tampa win Super Bowl LV and was a Pro Bowler in 2021. He is a powerful pass rusher who plays off-ball. 

Unfortunately for White, his worst season was also a contract year, and the Buccaneers did not renew it, which allows him to be a free agent this offseason. After suffering a foot injury, White sat out one of the last games of the year, an important match-up against the Green Bay Packers. White was medically cleared, but told his Head Coach Todd Bowles that his foot didn't feel right and Bowles made him inactive. When accusations from teammate Richard Sherman came out that he "quit on his team," White's reputation took a hit. He denies he quit, saying he did everything he could to get back.

"I love his play, he's intense, he's very smart," Foster continued about White. "I've seen him be injured in a game this year and come back in the game and finish it out. I am a Devin White fan. I don't know what his cost is going to be, why they didn't extend him, I don't know. But he's not a linebacker that I would let hit free agency. I've seen him cover tight ends, I've seen do well. I like Devin White. I think he's a Pittsburgh-style starter. I correlate him to 'Potsie,' James Farrior. I see him leaving a destination and flipping a switch."

Foster's comparison to James Farrior would be an ideal one. Farrior was drafted by the New York Jets in 1997 and was picked up by the Steelers in 2002. He spent the second part of his career, 10 seasons, making up for lost time. Whatever was missing in New York, he found in Pittsburgh. He helped the Steelers win two Super Bowls and was selected for two Pro Bowls. He was also second to Ed Reed for the NFL Defensive Player of the Year Award in 2004. 

On top of what he has seen on the field from White, Foster thinks that Steelers Head Coach Mike Tomlin's excellent relationship with Bowles will serve him well. He will let Tomlin know exactly what kind of player White is and will be able to clear up any rumors about his character. Besides, if there is a coach in the league that can help motivate a player and bring out their full potential, it is Tomlin. 

While it might be unfortunate for White, the statistically low season he had in 2023 may work in the Steelers' favor and make him affordable to a team that has a lot of needs. 

What do you think about the possibility of signing White? Click to comment below.

#SteelerNation