LB Victor Butler To Visit Eagles

The Eagles might not be done in free agency just yet.

Outside linebacker Victor Butler is on his way to Philadelphia for a visit, a source confirms to Birds 24/7. Butler had been meeting with the Browns, but a deal didn’t get done. Mary Kay Cabot of the Cleveland Plain-Dealer was the first to report the development.

From what we gather, Butler would be looked at as a rotational/special teams player if signed by the Eagles, and would not impact the status of Trent Cole or Brandon Graham.

At 6-2, 245, Butler spent his first four NFL seasons behind Anthony Spencer in Dallas. He was a fourth-round pick out of Oregon State back in 2009.

We highlighted Butler as a potential option for the Eagles earlier this month. He’s only 25 and has experience playing outside linebacker in a 3-4.

Butler only played 28.2 percent of Dallas’ snaps last year, per Pro Football Focus. Most of his experience comes as a pass-rusher. In four NFL seasons, on passing downs, he’s rushed the QB 80.5 percent of the time and dropped back into coverage 19.5 percent of the time.

On the surface, the Eagles appear to have quite a few outside linebackers with Connor Barwin, Cole, Graham and Vinny Curry. Then again, we don’t know exactly how they want to shape the roster or what scheme they plan on implementing.

For example, the Green Bay Packers, a 3-4 team, broke camp with nine linebackers on their roster last year. And don’t forget that the Eagles could very well use some kind of rotation on defense.

Butler is likely making the rounds in search of the best deal. We should find out soon enough if that means a roster spot with the Eagles.

Tim McManus contributed to this report.