Despite playing in just nine games last season after suffering a season-ending wrist injury in Week 9 against the Carolina Panthers, Tennessee Titans cornerback Malcolm Butler was tied for the league lead in dropped interceptions.
According to Pro Football Focus, Butler dropped four picks, which tied him for the most with the Green Bay Packers’ Jaire Alexander, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ Carlton Davis, and the New England Patriots’ Stephon Gilmore.
Obviously, Butler wasn’t too thrilled to be on that list and he reacted to the stat on Twitter, saying he needs to do more work on the JUGS machine.
Jug Machine On The Way 🤦🏾‍♂️ https://t.co/M3qGYzSD5x
— Malcolm CB Butler (@Mac_BZ) June 11, 2020
The Titans signed Butler to a five-year deal worth $61.25 million in 2018.
The former Patriot got off to a rough start in his first season in Nashville, but put together a strong second half and was once again solid in 2019 before suffering the injury.
Going into 2020, Tennessee will hope Butler can put together a full season of solid play, as his absence last year was a huge blow to the team’s secondary and no doubt made things more difficult in the AFC Championship Game.
Even if Butler accomplishes that and doesn’t drop so many interceptions, there’s a possibility that he may not remain on the team beyond this season.
Butler will make $13.3 million in 2020 and $14.2 million 2021, which could end up being too rich for the Titans’ blood moving forward, especially if there’s a dip in the salary cap.
Tennessee did draft Kristian Fulton in the second round of the 2020 NFL Draft, so there’s a chance Fulton could move to the outside to replace Butler next season after spending his rookie campaign mostly in the slot.
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