Kliff Kingsbury on Malcolm Butler’s status with Cardinals: ‘Remains to be seen’
Aug 31, 2021, 12:08 PM | Updated: Sep 2, 2021, 1:09 pm
TEMPE — The Arizona Cardinals finished their first day of practice since training camp broke with little to no issues Monday morning.
Next up was one more day of practice before trimming down the roster to 53 players by 1 p.m. Tuesday.
But by late afternoon, there was a question mark surrounding the cornerbacks room — one nobody outside the organization saw coming.
According to NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo, offseason signing and projected starter Malcolm Butler has been dealing with a personal situation and is mulling retirement.
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The cornerback has not been on the field during the open portion of practice this week.
“It remains to be seen,” head coach Kliff Kingsbury said of any Butler updates Tuesday. “Nothing official on that just yet.
“I don’t want to get into hypotheticals just yet,” Kingsbury added when asked if the team has an idea on how to navigate roster decisions if Butler decides to walk. “Nothing official on that.”
Kingsbury added he has not spoken to Butler.
Shortly after Garafolo’s report, it was discovered that Butler had scrubbed his social media of all things Cardinals. He still has photos and posts of his days with the New England Patriots and Tennessee Titans, however. Butler’s profile pictures on both Instagram and Twitter are blacked out.
If Butler’s days in Arizona are indeed over before they really began, that means added opportunities for corners like standout rookie Marco Wilson.
Wilson garnered some first-team reps during training camp, guarding the likes of starting wide receivers A.J. Green, DeAndre Hopkins and Christian Kirk. That extra workload and Wilson’s pedigree gives Kingsbury added confidence the rookie can come in and make an impact on Sundays when called upon.
“No question,” Kingsbury said when asked if Wilson could come in at start. “He’s played at the highest level when talking about college football.
“Had to cover all those top receivers that come out every year, whether it’s ‘Bama, LSU, Georgia. The moment’s not too big for him.”
