Chicago Bears: 5 Cornerbacks to target in 2018 NFL Free Agency

Malcolm Butler (2017: 60 Tackles, 12 Passes Defended, 3 Forced Fumbles, 2 Interceptions)

Malcolm Butler is the other player many feel is the top cornerback available in free agency. After playing sparingly in his rookie season, he helped the New England Patriots in during their Super Bowl run, including being the hero who intercepted a pass in the end zone to seal the Pats’ championship.

In addition, after his heroics in the Super Bowl, Butler went on to play in every game since. He made the Pro Bowl in 2015 and intercepted eight passes in the last three seasons. While you may not think of Butler as a hard-hitting cornerback, he finds a way to the ball and separating it from the carrier. He has 4 career forced fumbles.

Even though he helped win Super Bowls for the Patriots, for some reason he didn’t play in this last Super Bowl except for on special teams. There was wild speculation for the reason, ranging from a missed curfew to possibly having marijuana. Whatever happened, we probably won’t know. Butler denied everything and the Patriots won’t comment.

To go along with the benching, Butler’s 2017 season was among his weakest since he became a starter in 2015. Was that season a start of a slide, or was it just a blip. A lot of fans want the Bears to go after Butler. The Bears, though, need to do their due diligence. This is a big pickup and they need to make sure he’s the right choice.