The Patriot/ex-Patriot players who supported him said it was a curfew violation plus other things. If Butler is still denying it, he's got some 'splainin to do.
Yet Belichick played him damn near every defensive snap last season, more than any other player. Not making excuses for the guy, especially if he selfishly violated curfew but Butler has consistently been a Top 10 CB although I don't believe he played to his standards last season. If you can get him for $13M/per, that's a pretty good deal considering the top guys will be making $16M+. Not really. Butler has denied it and his Head Coach said it wasn't for disciplinary reasons and strictly a football decision. No idea if they're lying but absolutely no need for him to explain himself further than that. Also, another player said it was for weed and having a girl in his hotel room so you're literally getting 3 different stories from 3 different people outside of Butler himself. It would be somewhat foolish to make a decision based on one's account over another IMO.
He’s 5’9” and runs in the 4.6s on his best day (3 years ago). He was graded as the 51st best CB in 2017. He’s: moody complicated habitual line-stepper a lone wolf doesn't hang with teammates not self motivated Now, if you think that’s worth top 5 CB money I’d like for you to GM one of our AFC South opponents.
Texans need to improve Deshaun Watson's protection through free agency HOUSTON -- Now that the Houston Texans finally have their franchise quarterback in Deshaun Watson, new general manager Brian Gaine’s goal this offseason should be protecting him, their most valuable asset and key to success moving forward. The Texans had the worst offensive line in the NFL in 2017, according to Pro Football Focus. The unit gave up 252 total pressures, which is the second-most allowed over the past 12 seasons. In the seven games before he tore his ACL, Watson completed 61.8 percent of his passes for 1,699 yards for 19 touchdowns and eight interceptions. He relied on his mobility to extend plays as a big part of his game. While it remains to be seen how Watson will recover from his torn ACL and how that will impact how elusive he can be in the pocket, imagine the numbers he can put up with a solid offensive line. Three of the Texans’ starting offensive linemen are free agents: left guard Xavier Su'a-Filo, left tackle Chris Clark and right tackle Breno Giacomini. It’s unlikely the Texans will bring Su’a-Filo back. The 2014 second-round draft pick ranked 75th out of 77 guards under PFF’s grades and has been seen as a bust in Houston given the high pick used on him. The Texans have a lot of cap space after they were mostly inactive in free agency a year ago, and they should spend a lot of the more than $56 million they have available on filling glaring holes on the line, especially focusing on players who can be good in pass protection. Part of that inactivity was likely due to the status of Tony Romo, who waited until early April to announce he was retiring. Houston had traded Brock Osweiler and was looking for a starting quarterback. The Texans eventually turned to Watson after starting the season with Tom Savage as their starter. Houston could look at former Carolina Panthers guard Andrew Norwell. The 26-year-old didn’t allow a sack or a hit last season, according to PFF, and allowed only 13 hurries on 564 passing plays. Norwell started all 16 games for the Panthers at left guard in 2017 and was named first-team All-Pro. If Houston wanted to go for a veteran for the inside of the offensive line, it could go for Jahri Evans, who started 14 games at right guard for the Green Bay Packers in 2017. Evans has taken a step back from earlier in his career, when he was especially successful as a run-blocker, but he could get a solid short-term deal in 2018 after a solid 2017. Houston could also look at former New York Giants offensive lineman Justin Pugh, who could be an attractive prospect because he has experience at both guard and tackle. The 27-year-old played in only eight games for the Giants last season due to injury but is at the top of the list of this year’s offensive line class. The Texans definitely have questions at tackle, with both Clark and Giacomini set to enter free agency, although it’s possible they bring one of the two back on low-risk contracts. Houston could also get right tackle Derek Newton back from injury. Newton tore the patellar tendons in both legs in Week 7 of the 2016 season and missed the entire 2017 season. Texans head coach Bill O’Brien said he has been impressed with Newton's progress in rehab. Given the money the Texans have available and the limited draft resources without a first- or second-round pick, Gaine will no doubt look at external options, as well. In 12 games last season, former New England Patriots tackle Cameron Fleming allowed four sacks and six hurries; his 10 total pressures allowed in 191 pass-blocking snaps was the lowest pressure allowed among free-agent tackles. Fleming’s teammate Nate Solder is coming off his worst season as a pro after six seasons protecting Tom Brady. He also is going to be a free agent and might not require a long-term deal at 29 years old. While this is overall thought of as a weak offensive line class, there are several players who would make a huge difference in the Texans’ ability to protect Watson. With the sixth-most cap space available in the NFL, Gaine should be able to make a good run at any guard or tackle he is interested in.
Top 5 would be tough I'll admit. But at the $13M you quoted, that would put him as the 8th or 9th highest paid currently which I'd be okay with. Someone will shell out more though IMO, while he didn't have a particularly great season last year, he's the best overall CB FA on the market. Few other guys played better last season but some with injury concerns, inconsistent play, one year wonder, older, etc... BTW, here are the PFF rankings for the 5 highest paid corners in the league last season. The money doesn't always correlate year to year but think we'd agree that any of these guys would be very welcomed additions (if healthy) to the team. 1. Trumaine Johnson - 68th 2. Josh Norman - 53rd 3. Xavier Rhodes - 42nd 4. Patrick Peterson - 49th 5. Richard Sherman - 33rd and for reference... 19. Kareem Jackson - 95th 20. Johnathan Joseph - 65th 32. Kevin Johnson - 151st Also PFF scores are far from perfect, fun to look at and discuss for sure though.
Yeah they're mostly crap, but it's what we have without just going to the all-22, which I watch at least once. And KJo was #121, which I think was worst in 2017. From Rotoworld's ordered list of Free Agency CBs, fwiw: Trumaine Johnson (28) Malcolm Butler (28)#51 CB E.J. Gaines (26) #13 CB Kyle Fuller (26)#22 CB Aaron Colvin (26)#47 CB Prince Amukamara (28)#41 CB Bashaud Breeland (26)#54 CB Morris Claiborne (28)#100 CB Rashaan Melvin (28)#17 CB Patrick Robinson (30)#6 CB T.J. Carrie (27)#22 CB Ross Cockrell (26)#39 CB Brent Grimes (34)#36 CB Nevin Lawson (26)#112 CB Johnathan Joseph (33)
They don't need shut down corners. They need competent ones who can be in position and make plays on the ball. As long as coaching is at a high level, Butler will be fine as a Texan. Ironic that the Texans CB that played the best gets criticized the most.
He was wrecking the NFL with a horrendous OL. With a clean pocket and health I don’t doubt he could challenge the single season TD pass mark.
http://www.espn.com/nfl/insider/sto...m-biggest-2018-free-agency-decision-offseason Houston Texans Answers at cornerback The Texans opted not to use the franchise tag on cornerback A.J. Bouye in 2017. Now Houston's need for cornerbacks is even more robust, with Kareem Jackson and Kevin Johnson being the only notable contributors still under contract for 2018. New England's Malcolm Butler is scheduled to become a free agent, and it's worth noting that Frantzy Jourdain -- a highly regarded scout who now works for the Texans -- was the first step in the Patriots' evaluation of Butler, finding him as a small college prospect at West Alabama. Verdict: Make an aggressive play to sign Malcolm Butler.
