All things considered, the New England Patriots arguably have the best secondary in the NFL. But the Patriots don’t have the NFL’s top cornerback tandem, according to a former player who suited up at the position.
Malcolm Butler and Stephon Gilmore just cracked Ike Taylor’s top cornerback tandems list. The former Pittsburgh Steelers cornerback, who now serves as an analyst for NFL Media, ranked Butler and Gilmore fifth.
The Jacksonville Jaguars’ A.J. Bouye and Jalen Ramsey topped the list, while Aqib Talib and Chris Harris of the Denver Broncos ranked second. The New York Giants’ Janoris Jenkins and Eli Apple and the Los Angeles Chargers’ Jason Verrett and Casey Hayward also are better than Butler and Gilmore, according to Taylor.
Gilmore was a Pro Bowl selection in 2016 and signed a five-year, $65 million contract with the Patriots this offseason. Butler was a Pro Bowl selection in 2015 and was named a 2016 second-team All-Pro. The Patriots’ secondary also features safeties Devin McCourty, Patrick Chung and Duron Harmon and cornerbacks Eric Rowe and Jonathan Jones.
Thumbnail photo via Isaiah J. Downing/USA TODAY Sports Images
