TEMPE, Ariz. — Kevin White‘s attempt to put his disappointing career behind him hit a speed bump Wednesday when the Arizona Cardinals released the fifth-year wide receiver.
White had recovered from a hamstring injury that forced him to miss about a week of training camp before he was cut. He was signed to a one-year contract in March with hopes that he’d stay healthy enough to showcase his ability, something he was unable to do in four seasons with the Chicago Bears.
White fractured his left leg in both 2015 and 2016, and his shoulder in 2017.
He described the past four seasons as “very frustrating” but looked at the Cardinals’ opportunity as a “fresh start” to “show what I got.”
Cardinals coach Kliff Kingsbury, who coached against White in college and is close with White’s college coach, Dana Holgorsen, was optimistic that White could overcome his injury history and was pleased with his work ethic during training camp. But the constant with White was the uncertainty that he’d stay healthy.
“He had some unfortunate injuries there in Chicago and trying to kind of re-establish himself, really kind of like his rookie year,” Kingsbury said earlier this year.
White was unable to do that.
White played in just 14 games in four seasons with the Bears, the third fewest by any player drafted in the top 10 from 1970 to 2015, White’s draft year, according to Elias Sports Bureau research. White’s production in his first four seasons was the worst among wide receivers, tight ends and running backs drafted in the top 10 from 2001 through 2015, according to ESPN Stats & Information research.
His 14 career games, 25 career catches and 285 career receiving yards were the fewest among those categories over that stretch. His zero receiving touchdowns tied with the late Cedric Benson and Cadillac Williams.