NFL trade deadline: One move every team should make
By Joe Schiller
17. Kansas City Chiefs: Trade for Malcolm Butler
When you think of the Kansas City Chiefs, you picture a tough defensive team but that really hasn’t been the case this season. Alex Smith and the offense have led the way and the defense has been a surprising weak point. They rank in the bottom half of the league both against the run and the pass and that’s shown in their last two losses. The Chiefs explore trade options on the defensive side of the ball and Patriots cornerback Malcolm Butler screams as a potential target.
Butler has been one of the top corners for the Patriots since his Super Bowl saving moment but has had a weird 2017 season. He was benched early in the year against the Saints and hasn’t had as much of an impact with the addition of Stephon Gilmore. In a contract year, Butler and the Patriots secondary as a whole have been terrible. They’re dead last against the pass this year and opposing quarterbacks are having field days.
Even given Butler’s struggles this season, he’d fit well into the Chiefs’ defensive scheme. He’s not the biggest player on out on the field but makes up for it with his aggressive and scrappy style of play. Pairing him up with Marcus Peters on the outside makes for an intriguing corner duo. And with Eric Berry returning next season, that’s a solid secondary on paper.
The Chiefs have the defensive talent to move and a pass rusher like Tamba Hali comes to mind. We know Bill Belichick isn’t afraid to move big name players and this would be another example of that.