Malcolm Butler: It’s a new season and a new me

[T-Rac]

Cornerback Malcolm Butler‘s first season with the Titans didn’t go exactly as planned.

Butler signed a five-year, $61 million deal with the team as a free agent and was expected to be a consistent playmaker on defense in Nashville. Butler fell short of that goal, however, and found himself dropped down the depth chart at times early in the year as the Titans tried to find a way to get him back on track.

His play picked up down the stretch and Butler said this week that the page has been turned from the rough start to his time in Tennessee.

“It’s a new year, a new season and a new me. I’m ready to play,” Butler said, via TitanInsider.com. “I’m very relaxed. It’s not my first rodeo now. I’m relaxed. I know my teammates, I know my coaches and my playbook. I know Nashville and I know hot chicken, so I’m very acquainted.”

The Titans defense held up well despite Butler’s up-and-down performance last year. If he can eliminate some of the valleys this time around, the unit should stand a good chance of repeating that success.