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Arizona Cardinals place veteran CB Malcolm Butler on retired list

Former Tennessee Titans cornerback Malcolm Butler (21), shown Sept. 8, 2019, signed a one-year contract with the Arizona Cardinals earlier this off-season after the Titans released him. File Photo by Aaron Josefczyk/UPI
Former Tennessee Titans cornerback Malcolm Butler (21), shown Sept. 8, 2019, signed a one-year contract with the Arizona Cardinals earlier this off-season after the Titans released him. File Photo by Aaron Josefczyk/UPI | License Photo

Aug. 31 (UPI) -- The Arizona Cardinals placed veteran cornerback Malcolm Butler on the reserve/retired list Tuesday, less than a day after reports surfaced saying he was dealing with a personal matter and contemplating retirement.

Butler wasn't at the Cardinals' practice Tuesday morning, and head coach Kliff Kingsbury declined to speak on Butler's situation at his post-practice news conference. When asked for an update on Butler, Kingsbury said, "It remains to be seen," reiterating that nothing was official.

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"I don't want to get into, kind of, where it's at," Kingsbury told reporters. "Like I said, nothing's official. Just leave it at that."

Butler signed a one-year contract with the Cardinals earlier this off-season after the Tennessee Titans released him. He was brought to Arizona to replace Pro Bowler Patrick Peterson as the team's top cornerback.

In Butler's absence, the Cardinals could start rookie Marco Wilson, switch third-year cornerback Byron Murphy Jr. from the slot to outside, or add another cornerback to the roster.

Kingsbury said there was "no question" that Wilson -- if needed -- could start in the Cardinals' Week 1 game against the Titans.

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Butler, a two-time Super Bowl champion as a member of the New England Patriots, was selected to the Pro Bowl in 2015 and was named second-team All-Pro in 2016. He spent just three seasons in Tennessee after signing a five-year, $61.25 million contract with the Titans in 2018.

In 100 career games between the Patriots and Titans, Butler has notched 406 total tackles, 17 interceptions and 83 passes defensed.

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