Breaking down E.J. Gaines and his potential replacements
By Daniel Hahn
Malcolm Butler
Career Stats: 205 tackles, 4 forced fumbles, 8 INTs
2017 Stats: 60 tackles, 3 forced fumbles, 2 INTs
27 years old, 4th NFL season
Undrafted Free Agent – West Alabama
Upon second thought, let’s go crazy. Seattle has the Legion of Boom, the Bills should have the Legends of the Falls? Butler, White, Hyde, and Poyer sounds pretty darn great on paper.
The Bills have a window where White will be on his rookie contract. If they can spend big on Butler and sign him for 3-4 years, they can flip that annual salary over to White when his deal is up, and they’re not breaking new ground within their budget.
There are two intangible reasons I would like to see the Bills pursue Butler. First, he fits the underdog mentality that the Bills culture is being built around. He’s an undrafted free agent, and once the Patriots signed Gilmore, he was pushed back to an afterthought within New England.
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The second piece is that you are robbing a player from a divisional opponent and improving yourself.
The Patriots typically take players from within the division, add them to their roster, and then hand out rings. Butler can bring his rings to Buffalo, and help lead a new secondary.
Adding Butler, to me, isn’t the most realistic option.
However, the Spotrac estimate of a $13.2 million average salary is workable by the Bills. To afford Butler, they would need to cut Tyrod Taylor, which may happen anyway.
Let’s not forget that the Patriots are known to let talented players walk. Butler was benched during the Super Bowl, and there is probably some souring between him and the Patriots. The best revenge would be to join a divisional team who is on the rise.
The most realistic long-term bet for the Bills is to address the cornerback position in the draft. If the Bills hit on another cornerback, they can still cultivate one of the best secondary’s in the NFL for years to come.