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The New Orleans Saints suffered a huge blow when an MRI revealed that linebacker Victor Butler suffered a torn ACL. Butler was one of the key acquisitions for the Saints this offseason, and it is unfortunate that he will miss the 2013 campaign. He was brought in from the Dallas Cowboys and seemed like a lock for one of the starting outside linebacker positions before his injury.
Butler was so valuable to the Saints because he had worked under Rob Ryan in Dallas, but now the New Orleans will have to look elsewhere to fill the void left by his injury. Despite Butler not being available this season the Saints can still recover from this injury. He was probably the linebacker most familiar with Ryan’s system, but there are other players who can step in and produce.
Martez Wilson and Junior Galette will get an opportunity to win the starting job, and both look ready to become starters. Furthermore, there is a possibility that rookie linebacker Rufus Johnson will get an opportunity. However, it is rumored that Wilson is the favorite to win the starting spot and that he and Butler were each other’s main competition before Butler went down.
Wilson is entering his third season and has only played a limited role so far in his career. However, he has shown flashes of greatness so far in his NFL career. Last season Wilson appeared in all 16 games, and while he only had 19 tackles he did also have three sacks. I think given a starting job Wilson’s production will only go up and he could be the answer the Saints have been looking for in their pass rush.
Alejandro Aviles is the Featured Writer for the New Orleans Saints at Rant Sports @aaviles312
