Emmanuel Sanders Gushes Over Malcolm Butler In The Players’ Tribune Piece

Emmanuel Sanders has great respect for one of his fiercest rivals.

The Denver Broncos wide receiver recently published a story for The Players’ Tribune listing the five toughest cornerbacks he’s ever played against.

Now in his eighth NFL season, Sanders has gone up against a slew of star corners over the course of his career. Defensive stalwarts like Richard Sherman and Darrelle Revis unsurprisingly made Sanders’ brief list, but one name certainly stood out: New England Patriots cornerback Malcolm Butler.

“He reminds me a lot of Chris Harris,” Sanders writes. “He got that dog in him, too. He’s always doing those extra little things to make you uncomfortable — jamming you as hard as he possibly can at the line of scrimmage, or giving the ball an extra punch just when you think you got it secured. He’s a pit bull. He’s tenacious. He never gives up.”

Butler and Sanders have faced off four times dating back to 2015, with the Patriots and Broncos splitting the set. Sanders’ glowing review of Butler comes as somewhat of a surprise, as the star wideout had some choice words for the Pats DB following New England’s 16-3 win over Denver last season, in which Sanders only hauled in three catches for 48 yards.

Sanders had much more success against New England this season, as he caught six passes for 137 yards when the teams met in Week 10. However, the result was far worse than in 2016, as the Broncos suffered a brutal 41-16 loss on their home field.

Butler is in the midst of another fine campaign for the Patriots this season, and they will need him to be at his best if they have any hope of repeating as Super Bowl champions.