Player
Kyzir White
LB · 49ers
Kyzir White: facts drawn from the play-by-play.
8-year arc from Chargers safety-LB hybrid to four-team off-ball starter — 309 tackles, 23 PDs.
TrendWhite by season (defensive participation)
| Season | Team | Tk | TFL | Sacks | PDs |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | LAC | 11 | 1 | 0 | 2 |
| 2019 | LAC | 21 | 1 | 0 | 2 |
| 2020 | LAC | 45 | 4 | 0.5 | 3 |
| 2021 | LAC | 66 | 7 | 1.0 | 3 |
| 2022 | PHI | 69 | 3 | 1.5 | 7 |
| 2023 | ARI | 46 | 9 | 2.0 | 3 |
| 2024 | ARI | 49 | 9 | 2.5 | 3 |
| 2025 | TEN/SF | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Drafted 4th round, 119th overall by the Chargers in 2018, White spent his first two seasons rotating as a hybrid safety-LB (he played safety at West Virginia). The breakout came in 2021 with 66 tackles, then a Super Bowl LVII appearance with Philly in 2022 (69 tackles, 7 PDs — both career-highs).
Free agency took him to Arizona for two seasons — 9 TFL in each of 2023 and 2024, marking him as a quality run-stuffer. 2025 has been a rough year: 2 tackles total split between TEN and SF rosters.
Tackles per season
| Season | Tackles |
|---|---|
| 2018 | 11 |
| 2019 | 21 |
| 2020 | 45 |
| 2021 | 66 |
| 2022 | 69 |
| 2023 | 46 |
| 2024 | 49 |
| 2025 | 2 |
Super Bowl LVII starter — 69 tackles, 7 PDs in his only Eagles season.
MilestoneWhite signed a one-year deal with Philadelphia in 2022 and immediately became the Eagles' WILL linebacker next to T.J. Edwards. He posted career-highs in tackles (69) and PDs (7) and started in Super Bowl LVII — the narrow loss to Kansas City.
That season has remained his career-best line. He left in free agency for Arizona on a 2-year deal and was the Cardinals' defensive captain in 2023 and 2024.
His TFL rate doubled in Arizona — 9 TFL in each of his two Cardinals seasons.
SplitTFL by team era
| Team | Seasons | TFL | TFL/Season |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chargers | 4 (2018-21) | 13 | 3.3 |
| Eagles | 1 (2022) | 3 | 3.0 |
| Cardinals | 2 (2023-24) | 18 | 9.0 |
The shift to Arizona changed White's run-defense profile. Under Jonathan Gannon's defense, he averaged 9.0 TFL per season — nearly triple his rate as a Charger.
The Cardinals deployed him much closer to the line as a downhill run defender. The volume of tackles dropped (~50/year vs 66+ in LAC/PHI), but each play became more impactful. 18 TFL in 2 Cardinals seasons vs 16 TFL across his first 5 seasons combined.
2 tackles in 2025 across two teams — by far the quietest season of his career.
Anomaly2025 season — multiple stops
| Stretch | Team | Snaps Played |
|---|---|---|
| Weeks 6-14 | TEN | ~limited |
| Weeks 19-20 | SF | ~limited |
After Arizona moved on from him, White signed with Tennessee in the summer of 2025 — but never carved out a starting role. He was released, and the 49ers added him in late January as injury-replacement depth.
2 total defensive tackles across the entire 2025 season is a stark contrast to the 49-tackle 2024. At 28 with a Super Bowl appearance on the resume, this looks like a fringe-roster year — but the 2022-24 sample remains a quality off-ball LB profile.
Among 2018 LBs taken Rd 4+, only Luvu and Jewell have more career tackles.
ComparisonThe 2018 LB Day-3 class produced a cluster of starters who outperformed their draft slot:
- Frankie Luvu (UDFA): ~530 career tackles - Josey Jewell (Rd 4, 106): 274 career tackles - Kyzir White (Rd 4, 119): 309 career tackles - Genard Avery (Rd 5, 150): ~140 career tackles
White quietly sits 2nd in tackles in that group — ahead of his draftmate Jewell despite playing for four teams. The 2022 Eagles year and the 2024 Cardinals year are the highlights of a career that's been mostly steady, mostly underrated.
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