FOXBORO, Mass. — Malcolm Butler has sky-high hopes for the New England Patriots’ newly formed cornerback tandem.
After winning Super Bowl LI in February, the Patriots not only were able to retain Butler, who tested the waters of restricted free agency before ultimately re-signing with New England. They also added former Buffalo Bills cornerback Stephon Gilmore, who parlayed his 2016 Pro Bowl season into a five-year, $65 million contract with the division rival Pats.
Speaking Thursday after New England’s first training camp practice of the summer, Butler said he believes he and Gilmore are one of the best cornerback duos in the NFL.
“Yeah, I do,” said Butler, a Pro Bowl pick in 2015 and a second-team All-Pro last season. “I do.”
How about the best?
“We around,” Butler responded. “We around. Actions speak louder than words. We’ll have our time to prove that.”
The soft-spoken Gilmore, meanwhile, downplayed the hype when NESN.com’s Michaela Vernava posed the same question to him.
“I mean, we’ll see,” Gilmore said. “You’ve got to prove it every year. We’ve got to start on the practice field, make plays and try to take it over to the game.”
In a story published on NFL.com in May, former Pittsburgh Steelers corner Ike Taylor ranked Butler and Gilmore fifth among active cornerback tandems. A.J. Bouye and Jalen Ramsey of the Jacksonville Jaguars topped that list, while the Denver Broncos’ combo of Aqib Talib and Chris Harris Jr. ranked second. (If we had to pick, we’d go with Talib and Harris.)
Could Butler and Gilmore emerge as the cream of the cornerback crop in their first season together? They certainly have the talent for it. Over the past two seasons, the Super Bowl XLIX hero and the ex-Bill have combined for 14 interceptions and 62 pass breakups.
“(My goal is to) be better than last year,” Butler said. “… Get better in each and every aspect of the game. Just be better. I want to be better. Anything to help the team.”
Thumbnail photo via Winslow Townson/USA TODAY Sports Images
