Goodbye Old Friend: Kevin White Signs With the Cardinals
Kevin White is taking his talents to Arizona, where he will be greeted to a much-needed fresh start.
Check it out:
Former #Bears first-round WR Kevin White is expected to sign with the #AZCardinals, source said. He visited the team today and will restart his career.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) March 14, 2019
The Arizona Cardinals are signing free agent (and former Bear first-round draft pick) Kevin White. Terms of the deal have not been disclosed, but the most important thing to know is that it’s a clean slate for the star-crossed receiver.
White was GM Ryan Pace’s first ever draft pick and he arrived in Chicago with so much talent, upside, and potential. He had desirable size and speed, but the injury bug never allowed him to tap into his athleticism while with the Bears. White played in just 14 games during his four-year career in Chicago. Which means he missed 50 games after being selected with the seventh overall pick in the 2015 NFL Draft. If White didn’t have bad luck, you’d wonder if he had any luck at all.
The Cardinals appear to be an ideal destination for someone with White’s untapped potential. He will be in a pass-happy offense with a first-year head coach (Kliff Kingsbury), he’ll work alongside an all-time great receiver (Larry Fitzgerald), he’ll line up next to an up-and-comer in the slot (Christian Kirk), and he’ll catch passes from a quarterback with tremendous upside (either Kyler Murray or Josh Rosen). That should play.
No, things didn’t go as well as they could in Chicago. But at least White put in the work in the offseason, during OTAs, at training camp, and throughout the preseason. That type of work ethic will always be rewarded in the NFL and often pays off for players (and the teams that sign them). Matt Nagy gave White every opportunity possible to break through in 2018, it simply wasn’t in the cards in Chicago. It doesn’t mean good things can’t happen for White moving forward. Good luck, Mr. White.
