Patriots Release Cornerback Malcolm Butler With Injury Settlement

The New England Patriots released cornerback Malcolm Butler off of injured reserve on Thursday with an injury settlement. Butler is now a free agent. He was placed on injured reserve nine days ago. He injured his hip in the team's preseason opener against the New York Giants.

Butler's injury settlement is for about the first six weeks of the season. This means he might be available to play for a new team sometime in October, ESPN's Field Yates reported on Friday.

The Patriots have released CB Malcolm Butler off of IR with an injury settlement, making him a free agent.

— Field Yates (@FieldYates) August 25, 2022

Butler is best known for his goal-line interception of Russell Wilson, which sealed the Patriots' victory in Super Bowl XLIX.

The Patriots were already thin at cornerback heading into the season, and Butler was projected to be one of their starters. The team already lost Joejuan Williams to a season-ending injury this summer.

The Patriots' unofficial depth chart lists Terrance Mitchell and Jalen Mills as starters. Mitchell played last season with the Texans and recorded 9 pass breakups and 1 interception in 14 games. Mills is entering his second season with the Patriots after finishing last season with 7 pass breakups but zero interceptions.

The Patriots did draft Houston cornerback Marcus Jones in the third round of this year's NFL Draft. Jones was First‐Team All‐American Athletic Conference as a return specialist, but he might have to step up as a cornerback as a rookie.

This is a developing story. The 33rd Team will continue to update as more information becomes available.