Butler may be older now and coming off a one-year stint on the sidelines, but he still projects as a perimeter cornerback in New England’s scheme with some starter-level upside.ĭoes he have positional versatility? Butler is primarily an outside cornerback, even though he received some opportunities in the slot over the course of his NFL career: during his first stint in New England he played 13.2 percent of his snaps from the slot, for example (503 of 3,825). Back then, he served primarily as an outside cornerback in a defense using plenty of press-man coverage shells. What is his projected role? Butler’s first four years in the Patriots system give us some clues about how the team might plan to use him moving forward. Accordingly, the former Patriot spent the entire 2021 season on the sidelines before his official release in mid-February. The veteran had missed time the previous week for personal reasons, with him later stating that he was “not prepared mentally” to continue his career at that point in time. However, after appearing playing a combined 23 defensive snaps over two preseason games - allowing one 10-yard catch on five targets - Butler was sent to the reserve/retired list on roster cutdown day. He indeed appeared to be on his way to become Arizona’s new CB1 throughout the summer. Despite not counting against the NFL’s compensatory draft picks formula it took him almost three weeks to find a new team: Butler joined the Cardinals on a fully guaranteed one-year contract at a value of $3.25 million to help replace departed All-Pro Patrick Peterson. What did his 2021 season look like? After three seasons as a Titan, Butler was released by the organization in March 2021 and became an unrestricted free agent. After sitting out the season and getting released from his contract, Butler announced a comeback in early 2022. However, he eventually decided to retire for personal reasons before the start of the regular season. He spent three seasons in Tennessee - appearing in 42 games and catching 10 interceptions - and later joined the Arizona Cardinals. Where will Malcolm Butler land on the Chung-Thompkins Scale?Īfter getting benched in Super Bowl LII, Butler left the Patriots to sign a five-year, $61 million contract with the Tennessee Titans. Malcolm Butler grateful to turn back the clock with Patriots: ‘It felt like I was here yesterday’Ĭontract details: Patriots signed Malcolm Butler to a low-risk/high-reward deal Malcolm Butler reunites with Patriots on reported 2-year pact Malcolm Butler: Further reading Christopher Hanewinckel-USA TODAY Sports The play catapulted Butler to immediate stardom, and kickstarted an impressive career as a starting cornerback for the Patriots: over his four years with the team, Butler saw the field in a combined 70 regular season and playoff games and helped the team win two championships. Replacing a struggling Arrington in Super Bowl XLIX against the Seattle Seahawks, Butler made one of the biggest plays in league history when he intercepted quarterback Russell Wilson at the goal line to preserve New England’s 28-24 victory. Despite their depth at the position, the Patriots kept Butler on their active roster throughout his rookie campaign - a decision that paid off in historic fashion. And find one he did: New England signed Butler to a three-year contract, adding him to a cornerback group headed by the likes of Darrelle Revis, Brandon Browner and Kyle Arrington. Instead, he had to go the free agency route to find a home. What is his experience? Coming off a turbulent college career, Butler did not hear his name called in the 2014 NFL Draft. Hard factsĬontract status: Under contract through 2023 (2024 UFA) Experience Today, the series continues with veteran cornerback Malcolm Butler. Over the course of spring and summer, just like we have in years past, we will take a look at the men fighting for those spots to find out who has the best chances of helping the Patriots build on their 10-7 record. The team currently has 85 players under contract, but only 53 of them will be able to survive roster cutdowns in early September and ultimately make the active team. With the NFL Draft in the books and voluntary offseason workouts underway, the New England Patriots are already fully “on to 2022.”
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