The Colts pass defense ranked dead last in the league this season according to Football Outsiders. Adding a Pro Bowl cornerback like Malcolm Butler could go a long way in improving their ability to stop the pass.
Rashaan Melvin was a revelation this season as he played at a Pro Bowl level at cornerback for the Colts this season. However, his contract is up and the Colts don’t know if they can bring him back for 2018.
If the Colts do end up losing Melvin in free agency, they’ll need to use a ton of their resources on improving their corps of cornerbacks.
Malcolm Butler is a similar player to Melvin in a lot of ways. They both can play outside cornerback as well as in the slot, and they both came from unheralded backgrounds as undrafted free agents.
Butler has had a rocky relationship with the Patriots over the past year and it’d be shocking to see him in New England again next season. He was at the center of trade rumors last offseason before signing a one-year deal with the Patriots for 2017.
Butler has flirted with playing at an elite level over the past couple of seasons, but he took a bit of a step back this year due in part to those off-the-field distractions.
Butler would be a good fit in this Colts defense, and his versatility would be extremely valuable in their secondary. The only question will be how much would that cost in the open market.
Next: Should the Colts Spend a lot of Money in Free Agency?
Here are some other possible free agent targets for the Colts this offseason:
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