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One of the bigger stories from Super Bowl LII was Bill Belichick’s decision to bench one of his starting corners, Malcolm Butler, for the game. I suppose that’s a bit of a misstatement; Butler did get on the field for special teams, but he didn’t play at all on defense after playing 97.83% of the snaps on that side of the ball for New England up to that point of the season.
Although Belichick hasn’t gone into details, the story making the rounds about why Butler was effectively benched for the biggest game of the season comes via Ian Rapoport.
My understanding is the benching of #Patriots CB Malcolm Butler happened because of a perfect storm of issues: Sickness, a rough week of practice, and a minor rule violation believed to be related to curfew. A complicated matter. pic.twitter.com/TmUJgkHpsZ
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) February 5, 2018
As you’d expect, Butler wasn’t happy with his coach’s decision. Assuming the Patriots don’t tag him, Butler’s impending free agency means he has a chance to play elsewhere next season.
In related news, your Houston Texans had a bad secondary in 2017, and it’s anticipated that the team will do what it can to address that issue in free agency, particularly without the luxury of a first or second round pick in the 2018 NFL Draft to spend on the position.
At least one current Texan is all about the team adding Butler to the roster. Never let it be said that DeAndre Hopkins won’t do his part in recruiting players to Houston.
Wusup @Mac_BZ we got a place for you in Houston
— Deandre Hopkins (@DeAndreHopkins) February 5, 2018
Are you bullish on the Texans pursuing Butler in free agency? If not, which free agent defensive backs do you want to see the team chase this offseason?
UPDATE: Nuk isn’t confining his recruitment of Butler to just one mode of social media. Check out this Instagram post.
UPDATE II: Butler speaks.
— Malcolm CB Butler (@Mac_BZ) February 6, 2018