Tahir Whitehead rumors: Top 3 landing spots
With his price tag rising, the Detroit Lions aren’t likely to keep linebacker Tahir Whitehead. There could be a bidding war for the young run-stopper.
After spending six seasons with the Detroit Lions—and the last two as the team’s leading tackler—linebacker Tahir Whitehead looks set to hit the free agency market in mid-March. And while the Lions cannot be ruled out as bidders for his services, Whitehead’s estimated market value of $8.5 million per year could put him out of their reach.
However free agency shakes out, Whitehead is excited about what the coming days will hold. Here are three teams that could become his new home for the 2018 season.
Best fits
1. San Francisco 49ers
The San Francisco 49ers will need to make a decision about the future of linebacker Reuben Foster at some point in the offseason; either that, or the NFL will do it for them. But it does not appear that Foster will see the field much this year for San Francisco or any team after two arrests in January and February, the most recent for allegations of domestic violence.
Bringing in an established veteran like Whitehead to replace him would provide the Niners a football reason to mitigate Foster’s eventual absence. The run-stopper wouldn’t be a financial burden given the 49ers glut of cap space and his reliability both on and off the field would upgrade the locker room and the defense.
2. Cincinnati Bengals
New Cincinnati Bengals defensive coordinator Teryl Austin spent most of Whitehead’s career as his coordinator in Detroit. But that’s not the only reason why the Bengals could be connected to Whitehead in free agency.
There’s also the matter of stopping the run, which the Bengals didn’t do a good job of in 2017. Last season, their defense ranked 30th in rushing yards allowed and 22nd in opponent average yards-per-carry. Meanwhile, their top run-stopping linebacker, Vontaze Burfict, missed time yet again due to a combination of suspensions and injuries.
Whitehead improves the run defense and is a top-tier insurance policy for potential Burfict issues in the future. The Austin connection only makes this potential pairing that much more sweet.
3. Buffalo Bills
The Buffalo Bills are yet another team that struggled with run-stopping in 2017, ranking 29th in yards allowed, 25th in yards per opponent rushing attempt and dead last in rushing touchdowns allowed. They also are set to have numerous vacancies in their linebacking corps that the draft alone may not be able to fill. Among the expected departures are Preston Brown and Ramon Humber.
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The Bills Wire’s Kyle Silagyi is among those in the Whitehead-to-Buffalo camp, slotting him as the team’s starting strong-side linebacker both because of his ability to stop the run as well as rush the passer. Silagyi notes Whitehead’s “11 total [quarterback] pressures,” in 2017 as another reason why the “young, athletic and versatile” Whitehead would be a fit for the Bills.