In search of cornerback depth, the Miami Dolphins work out Malcolm Butler

The Miami Dolphins are looking for reinforcements at cornerback as injuries continue to pile up.

Byron Jones, who hasn’t played a snap this season and is recovering from offseason ankle surgery, was expected to be a cornerstone of the team’s secondary. Nik Needham and Trill Williams are on injured reserve and aren’t expected to return this season.

Keion Crossen and Kader Kohou, who have each played in five games this season, missed Sunday’s win over Pittsburgh with injuries. With those five cornerbacks in mind, Xavien Howard, Noah Igbinoghene, and Justin Bethel are Miami’s only cornerbacks without an injury designation,

ESPN’s Field Yates is reporting that the Miami Dolphins worked out a group of players on Tuesday — including cornerback Malcolm Butler.

All things considered, the addition of Butler would make sense for the Dolphins. The team’s defensive coordinator, Josh Boyer, was the cornerbacks coach in New England from 2012 until 2018.

New England signed Butler as an undrafted free agent in 2014 and was the hero of Super Bowl XLIX against the Seattle Seahawks, intercepting quarterback Russell Wilson in the game’s final minutes.

Butler has 17 interceptions in his career, which includes a four-interception season in 2020. The Titans released Butler on March 10 and he signed a one-year contract with the Arizona Cardinals, before deciding to retire due to personal reasons.

In 2022, he returned to New England on a two-year contract but was placed on injured reserve on Aug. 16 before being released nine days later. Butler played 16 games in five of his seven years in the NFL.