Arizona Cardinals add LB Donald Butler for depth
The Arizona Cardinals signed linebacker Donald Butler, adding some intriguing depth to their inside linebacker position for training camp…
The Arizona Cardinals are no strangers to making interesting veteran free agent signings, and the addition of linebacker Donald Butler could prove very valuable.
.@AZCardinals sign former Chargers LB Donald Butler: https://t.co/ZMyapMypZG (via @RapSheet) pic.twitter.com/jfUcDPHPlw
— NFL (@NFL) July 28, 2016
Butler was once a pretty coveted player in this league, signing a $51.8 million extension over a seven-year period before he allegedly ‘quit’ on his team. San Diego beat writer Kevin Acee once wrote that Butler ‘stole’ from the Chargers, calling him a thief for how badly he lived up to his new deal.
That was back in 2014, and now Butler is a reclamation project for the Arizona Cardinals. He had just 46 tackles a year ago for San Diego, where he was being phased out of the short and long-term plans. Now with the Cardinals, he has a chance to provide some much needed depth at the inside linebacker position. The Cardinals will use plenty of diverse looks defensively, but Butler could fit into the plans as a run thumper on the interior.
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Just 27 years of age, Butler signed a contract worth $800,000 this year and could definitely be the type of player that out-plays his pay.
With Arizona, Butler is joining a squad that is on the cusp of being the team to beat in the NFC if they are not already. This is a defense that looks improved on paper with the additions they made on the front seven to go along with their excellent secondary.
Butler needs to get his head in the game to salvage his career at this point, and if there’s anything we all learned from the All Or Nothing documentary, it’s that this Cardinals coaching staff isn’t going to take any crap from Butler ‘quitting’ on his team this time around. He should be very motivated to earn another contract next offseason, so I really like this move for GM Steve Keim and head coach Bruce Arians.