Cleveland Browns: 5 free agents the Browns must target

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FOXBORO, MA – OCTOBER 22: Malcolm Butler #21 of the New England Patriots reacts as he warms up before a game against the Atlanta Falcons at Gillette Stadium on October 22, 2017 in Foxboro, Massachusetts. (Photo by Adam Glanzman/Getty Images) /

Malcolm Butler, CB, Patriots

Malcolm Butler‘s contract has been looming over the Patriots corner all season. It looked like he was primed to leave New England last offseason as an unrestricted free agent, but the Saints didn’t want to part with the second-round pick it would require to seal the deal.

So Butler suited up for the Patriots on the cusp of being mentioned as one of the top corners in the game, but when the regular season was all said and done, Butler had turned in a subpar year.

He ended the season as Pro Football Focus’ 45th ranked corner (80.4). In 2016, he graded out with an 88.1 grade.

Both Brien Boddy-Calhoun and Jason McCourty graded out higher than Butler in PFF’s final corner rankings, with Boddy-Calhoun finishing 21st, and McCourty at 28, respectively.

Butler can still help the Browns who still need help in the secondary, as as PFF’s Sam Monston noted, he’s still a tenacious player.

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