New Orleans Saints linebacker Victor Butler has said that he is confident his presence can improve the already-excellent defense upon his return from injury.

An anterior cruciate ligament injury ended Butler's 2013 season, but the player said that now he has returned to reps with his teammates he cannot wait to get back on the field in games.

"My role is to get out there and help make this defense - which was, to me, the number one defense in the league - even better," Butler told the club's official website. "Whether that's coming off the bench or coming out of the tunnel first.

"You feel like you get out there in OTAs, you get out there in minicamps and training camp and you let your play do the talking for you. You get out there and you make plays, you don't make mistakes and you earn the trust and confidence of your teammates, and the rest of it will sort itself out."

Butler was signed last season from Dallas Cowboys as a free agent.