Raiders Hurting for Young Linebacker Darien Butler
The Las Vegas Raiders took a hit to their linebacker room with Tuesday's news that linebacker Darien Butler was placed on the injured/reserve list and will miss the entire 2023 season.
Butler was entering his second NFL season and had been promising in the team's first preseason game and training camp.
"For those guys, they work their butt off," Raiders Coach Josh McDaniels told reporters on Wednesday. "And Darien was an undrafted guy and kind of made his way into the games last year in a number of phases and offseason kind of worked through the offseason to get better and then had a decent training camp going and then -- it's just unfortunate. We're lucky we haven't had more of them so far. But just hurts for DB [Darien Butler] that he put a lot of work into this year and was hoping for some good results here. But if I know him, he'll attack the rehab process the right way and get back after it and hopefully be ready to go next spring."
The sorrow is also being felt around the rest of the linebacker room, but there is a silver lining.
"In a way, it made us closer," Raiders linebacker Divine Deablo said. "Of course we feel bad for But [Butler], but we just got to keep moving forward, keep each other accountable, and just keep moving."
Butler played in 15 games for the Silver and Black last season, totaling three solo and eight assisted tackles.
The 23-year-old linebacker recorded 243 combined tackles, 24.5 for losses, and four sacks in 40 games at Arizona State. He would be named a semifinalist for the Butkus Award in his final season with the program.
Butler was signed by the Raiders as an undrafted free agent in May of 2022.
The Silver and Black return to preseason action when they play the Dallas Cowboys at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, on Saturday, Aug. 26, at 8 p.m. EDT/5 p.m. PDT.
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