Sports Q

Sports Q: Which player would you take off the Bucs’ roster and add to the Patriots?

The Buccaneers have several playmakers the Patriots could use.

By Chad Finn

February 10, 2021

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Welcome to Boston.com’s Sports Q, our daily conversation, initiated by you and moderated by Chad Finn, about a compelling topic in Boston sports. Here’s how it works: You submit questions to Chad through Twitter, Facebook, and email. He’ll pick one each weekday to answer, then we’ll take the discussion to the comments. Chad will stop by several times per day to navigate. But you drive the conversation. 

Things I wonder about while watching Tom Brady chuck the Lombardi Trophy around on a boat: If you could take one player off the Bucs roster and add him to the Patriots, who would it be? I’m bringing Brady back. You? – Dean M.

As tempting as it would be to bring back Brady and pretend this Tampa detour that has brought him such joy never happened, he would not be the choice. It’s not Gronk, either, or Mike Evans, who is exactly what the Patriots need at receiver.

Give me Devin White, and without a second thought. As excellent as Brady was in winning his seventh Lombardi Trophy and fifth Super Bowl MVP, the biggest reason the Bucs won is that they shut down the Chiefs. Get this: In Brady’s last two Super Bowl wins, neither the ’18 Rams (who scored 527 points in the regular season) or the ’20 Chiefs (473 points) found their way into the end zone.

White, the 22-year-old linebacker who was the No. 5 pick in the ’19 draft out of LSU, was the best player on the field Sunday, and it wasn’t particularly close. He finished 12 tackles (eight solo), including two for a loss. He also broke up a pass, and picked off Patrick Mahomes to ice the game. He has the skill-set of a great linebacker and a great safety.

As a rookie two seasons ago, he had 2.5 sacks, 91 tackles, and 4 fumble recoveries. This season, he took a leap toward dominance with 9 sacks, and 140 tackles. I’m not sure he can get much better than he already is, but even if he stays right where he is now, he’ll be one of the best defensive players in the league for years to come.

There are probably a dozen players, if not more, off the Bucs roster that I’d love to steal for the Patriots. But White stands alone above all of them. Imagine what Bill Belichick would do scheme-wise with a player like him.

But what does everyone else think? Which player off the Bucs roster would you like to steal for the Patriots? I’ll hear you in the comments.