Kevin White officially a bust for Chicago Bears

The Chicago Bears will let Kevin White walk in free agency

Former first round pick Kevin White finally went from the status of being too injured to judge what exactly he could do in the NFL to being a solidified first round bust. It can be solidified by the fact that White was inactive for the Chicago Bears postseason game. White is a free agent this upcoming offseason, and while we typically do a series that presents the idea of retaining his services, or letting him move on, it seems as though there is no argument to keep White.

Health

The only pro Kevin White argument is that he was healthier this year than ever before. He suited up and was active for 9 games, which is more than his first three seasons combined. For a player who had issues with his health throughout his career, this is at least a step forward.

However, despite being healthy he was only active for nine games. This means that he was a healthy inactive for most of the time, meaning that Matt Nagy and company were not interested in his services.

Blocking

The one area where White took strides on the field was his blocking. He was great at holding the edge on the outside and springing runs down the field. However, he was inactive for Josh Bellamy. That is because while White was solid in his blocking, Bellamy was even better. On top of that, Bellamy provides supreme special teams value. The two things going for White are his health and his blocking, and even then the Bears were not interested.

Route running

Kevin White did present some flashes in route running. He had a chance late into the season as shown in the play here and did a great job of creating separation. However, that was far too inconsistent, and was barely seen throughout the year. Too often he was jammed off of the line of scrimmage and then failed to create any separation.

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What this showed was a player who has hardly progressed since his rookie season. We knew he had great size and athleticism, but with that came an inability to create separation due to nuance and route running. Injuries obviously had to do with it, but you never saw White take a step forward in four seasons.

Potential Contract

Questionable route running, health and lack of special teams play is not going to overcome being a good blocker. The Chicago Bears are going to let Kevin White walk. Will Kevin White get another chance in the NFL? Absolutely.

Corey Coleman signed with two teams last year after being released by the Browns as a first round bust. Justin Hunter went in round two, but signed with the Steelers and stayed with them for two seasons after being released by the team that drafted him.

Justin Hunter is a good comparison for what to expect from White at this point. Both are big play receivers with height, but neither are refined, and neither has shown an ability to separate at the second level. Hunter signed a one-year, $850K deal and spent the year as the Steelers fifth wide receiver. This is what should be expected from White on some team that is not the Chicago Bears.

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