LAS VEGAS -- Devin White's internal battle was just as challenging as the one he faced on the gridiron.
White was in a bad spot mentally during the tail end of his time with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, he said. Between his father, Carlos Thomas, passing away while being incarcerated in November 2022, and dealing with a lingering foot injury, White was unsure if he still cared about football.
"A lot was going through my head...I was out of it," the 27-year-old linebacker recalled. "And my mama [Coesha Standokes] told me if you don't want to do it, you don't have to. [I've] overcome a lot just where we come from going [Division I], graduating, making money, taking care of my whole family [and] doing everything I wanted in life. And she was like, "You can give up.'"
White, however, doesn't view himself as someone who gives up easily.
"When she said that, it just lit a fire under me. Like, give up? That ain't me. That's never been me," White said.
Playing on his third team since leaving Tampa Bay in 2023, White showed he indeed still has more to give. He was at the center of Las Vegas' decimation of the Tennessee Titans' offense in a 20-10 victory at Allegiant Stadium.
White recorded a team-high nine tackles, a strip-sack, two pressures and an interception to help snap the Raiders' four-game losing streak.
"I don't know anybody could put up more numbers than Devin White did," Raiders coach Pete Carroll said. "Jeez, it's a stat line. He made a bunch of plays...That's a great football game for him, and he missed three tackles that he could have had a ridiculously great game."
White, the No. 5 overall pick in 2019 and a Super Bowl LV champion with the Bucs in 2020, wanted to have fun playing football again. The former LSU standout says he leaned on his faith and sought out counseling to get in the right mindset.
In White's final year with the Buccaneers, he recorded 83 tackles after three straight seasons with at least 120. White went on to Philadelphia, where he didn't play a snap after signing a one-year deal in 2024 and was released four games into the season. He subsequently started in just one of seven games with the Houston Texans.
Still, White maintained the belief that he could be an impactful player.
"I wasn't gonna let my God-given ability go to waste," White said. "I wanted to finish what I started."
He signed with the Raiders in the offseason as a low-risk, high-reward type of acquisition. White quickly emerged as a starter alongside middle linebacker Elandon Roberts.
"I've always sought those kinds of players, guys that have something to prove," Carroll said. "...There are things about my personal past that I felt like I had something to prove since I was a little kid. We have common ground there, so I think it is a motivator. I like being around those kinds of guys."
Leading up to the Raiders' Week 6 matchup, White said the question posed to the defense was "Who can get the ball?" He took it upon himself to answer the call.
On the strip-sack in the second quarter, White said the Raiders ran the exact play in practice, so he knew he would have a clear path to Ward if the Titans attempted to double-team defensive end Maxx Crosby.
Titans running back Tyjae Spears motioned right to provide additional support against Crosby, and White took advantage. He charged freely at Ward, forcing a fumble that third-year defensive end Tyree Wilson recovered at the Titans' 2-yard line.
Eventually, the offense capitalized on solid field position. Quarterback Geno Smith completed a touchdown pass to tight end Michael Mayer, extending the Raiders' lead to 10-0 with 5:13 to go before halftime.
"We knew [White] was gonna come loose," Roberts said. "He could've got the sack and called it a day, but he got the ball out and gave our offense an opportunity [to score]."
Later in the quarter, White once again shifted the momentum in the Raiders' favor. Ward guided his team to Las Vegas' 30-yard line when pressure from Wilson and defensive tackle Jonah Laulu led to an errant pass that was intercepted by White.
Las Vegas finished the game with three takeaways and six sacks for the first time in a game since 2002 (Week 16 vs. Broncos), per ESPN Research. The Raiders also totaled 16 pressures and held Tennessee to 65 rushing yards. They've allowed fewer than 100 yards on the ground in five of six games.
"An emphasis this week was to exert dominance...I felt like Devin did that," Wilson said.
Through six games, White has collected 48 tackles, five pressures and seven run stuffs -- tied for most on the team.
White understands he still has plenty to improve. He has had his fair share of missed tackles, and has been inconsistent in coverage. White has allowed 17 catches for 146 yards on 23 targets as the nearest defender.
"Sometimes I just be running too damn fast," White said. "But at the end of the day, I'd rather run fast than be out there not giving my all for my team, and I think it shows."