Patriots place Malcolm Butler on season-ending IR originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston
The New England Patriots' secondary depth got thinner on Tuesday, which marked the deadline to cut the roster down to 85 players.
According to multiple reports, cornerbacks Malcolm Butler and Joejuan Williams were placed on injured reserve. Players placed on IR before the regular season are ineligible to return to the field in the same year.
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Butler, 32, ended his brief retirement to return to the Patriots for the 2022 campaign. The Super Bowl XLIX hero signed a one-year, $3.9 million deal during the offseason.
Williams, 24, suffered a season-ending shoulder injury. The 2019 second-round draft pick has started only one game in his three years in the NFL. He's scheduled to become an unrestricted free agent in March.
With Butler and Williams out of the picture, the Patriots' cornerback depth chart consists of Jalen Mills, Jonathan Jones, Terrance Mitchell, Marcus Jones, Myles Bryant, Jack Jones, Shaun Wade and Justin Bethel.
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The Patriots also released backup punter Jake Julien, per ESPN's Mike Reiss, bringing the number of players on the roster to 84.
