Much has been said about Devin White's absence from the Tampa Bay Buccaneers' Week 15 game against the Green Bay Packers at Lambeau Field. Several outlets have speculated that the true reason behind his being listed as inactive for the Pacers game was not related to injury. However, Bucs head coach Todd Bowles tried to set the record straight after Tampa Bay's 34-20 win on Sunday (h/t Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times).

Bucs coach Todd Bowles said Devin White to him before the game said “he couldn’t go,” referring to his foot injury. Bowles said he has no choice but to make White inactive. He said it was injury related.

White has now missed three games in a row because of a foot injury, though, he looked as though he was ready to return after practicing without any restrictions last Thursday and Friday. The last time he saw action was in the Buccaneers' Week 12 loss at the hands of the Indianapolis Colts on the road.

Amid White's continued absence on the field is the fact that he is playing on an expiring contract. He is expected to hit the offseason as an unrestricted free agent. A first-round selection (fifth overall) by the Buccaneers in the 2019 NFL Draft, White could potentially earn the biggest contract yet of his career in the next free agency period, so it's also in his best interest to keep himself as healthy as possible before then.

A Pro Bowler in 2021, White has appeared in 11 games so far this season with 2.0 sacks, 69 combined tackles, and six quarterback hits.