Adam Butler
Butler hasn’t received the recognition he deserves in his career. He’s been able to fill in as the pass-rushing defensive tackle that the Patriots were looking for in a guy like Dominique Easley. In three seasons, Butler only has 11 sacks, but he’s been able to disrupt and penetrate the backfield with some consistency. He’s not too shabby against the run either, as Pro Football Focus had him rated as the top interior run stopper last season.
This offseason, Butler was given a second-round tender as a restricted free agent. The Patriots went from paying the Vanderbilt product just over $550,000 a year to roughly $3.26 million this season. New England could use some of this new money to give him an even bigger bump and keep him around for a few years on a three or four-year deal.