Arizona Cardinals: No.2 WR Brice Butler Finally Looking at Real Playing Time

Former Dallas Cowboys WR Brice Butler is the No.2 guy opposite Larry Fitzgerald on Arizona Cardinals depth chart.

Although he’s been a constant in the NFL over the last five seasons, wide receiver Brice Butler has never really got his shot. As a member of two historic franchises — Oakland and Dallas — Butler has 61 games under his belt, yet, only seven of those have featured Butler as a starter.

This year, however, after averaging over 20 yards per reception in 2017, Butler signed a two-year, $2.6 million contract with Arizona — one of the more receiver-hungry franchises in the NFL.

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Butler joined a group that’s led by Cardinals’ legend Larry Fitzgerald. After him, though, the group is severely short on experienced guys. Because of that, it wasn’t a huge surprise to see Butler as Arizona’s No.2 receiver on the team’s first depth chart of 2018.

To be honest, you’ve gotta be happy for Brice Butler. He’s always been a well-cultured guy that carries himself well and is involved with charities. More importantly, he’s a sure-handed receiver that’s dropped only one pass in each of his last two seasons and has never fumbled in five seasons.

Moving forward, the job is his to lose. Luckily, there isn’t a ton of competition behind him that fits the No.2 mold: J.J. Nelson is a perfect No.3 receiver and Chad Williams is more of a slot guy. Greg Little, one of the few guys with experience similar to Butler, could challenge the spot but he’ll need to prove himself over an extended period of time.

I’d bet that come Week 1 vs. Washington, Butler is out there to start the first offensive series of 2018. Lined up opposite of Fitz, with his 6-foot-3 frame and big-gain ability, he should flourish.