Four-year NFL veteran defensive tackle Adam Butler signed a two-year contract with the Miami Dolphins. Butler, a former undrafted free agent, spent the past four seasons with the New England Patriots. Ian Rapoport first broke the news.
The #Dolphins are signing former #Patriots DT Adam Butler to a 2-year deal, source said, a familiar face for coach Brian Flores.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) March 17, 2021
Adam Butler, Miami Dolphins, Agree to Contract
Butler is coming off arguably the best season of his young career. Even though this is the first time the Patriots haven’t made the playoffs in his professional career, Butler had yet another productive season along the defensive interior. In all, the defensive lineman recorded a four sacks, a career-high 34 tackles, seven quarterback hits, and six tackles-for-loss in 15 total games played. He did this all despite facing double teams at one of the highest rates in the league.
Butler initially entered the NFL as an undrafted free agent. Following the 2017 NFL Draft, Butler signed with the New England Patriots hoping to compete for a spot on the roster. After an impressive training camp and preseason, Butler earned a spot on the Week 1 roster and even recorded a sack in the season-opening loss to the Kansas City Chiefs. In all, Butler finished his rookie year with two sacks, 19 tackles, two tackles-for-loss, and two quarterback hits.
Butler remained a rotational player in 2018, as the Vanderbilt product technically didn’t even record a start. However, he still managed to play some good football, recording three sacks, four quarterback hits, 17 tackles, and four tackles-for-loss in his 16 games on the field. Additionally, Butler also recorded the first forced fumble of his career, although he did not recover it.
Butler’s role grew in 2019, as the former undrafted free agent took his game to another level. Playing in all 16 games while recording two starts, Butler finished his season with six tackles, nine quarterback hits, 26 tackles, and eight tackles-for-loss while helping to lead one of the best defenses in the NFL.
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