With Darrelle Revis back home in New York, the Patriots move forward minus one of the greatest cover men in the game today.
According to defensive end Chandler Jones, though, New England already has a contingency plan in place come September.
"We're always preaching about 'It's not who we don't have, but it's who we have,'" Jones said Friday, per Mike Reiss of ESPN.com. "I know you guys only heard of Malcolm Butler during the whole Super Bowl thing and that big play, but Malcolm has been making plays for us the whole season in practice, and he's been getting good looks for us. So I'm excited for him to step up as one of the impact players as well."
Butler started just one game last season, but the undrafted rookie saw his role increase weekly before making the game-winning interception in Super Bowl XLIX. It only makes sense that Butler would see more action next season in a secondary stripped of Revis and Brandon Browner.
Despite Butler's newfound stardom, Jones says Patriots coaches can expect the same hard-working young player who grew up in the shadows last year before morphing into a Super Bowl fireball.
"Malcolm Butler is a very quiet guy," Jones said. "He's a guy that knows his role. He does a good job of ignoring the hype. All the things that are going on with him, and his life changing with that big play, he's still the same person, and I really admire him for that."
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