When Malcolm Butler broke up his first preseason passes as a member of the New England Patriots, the undrafted cornerback did so in a No. 29 jersey that he shared with undrafted running back Roy Finch.
It was Aug. 7, 2014 at FedEx Field.
Then as the roster whittled and went without sixth-round pick Jemea Thomas, Butler switched to No. 21. Those digits remained for the franchise’s eventual All-Decade selection through 70 games, 10 interceptions and a pair of Super Bowl victories. And later, those digits remained through stops with the Tennessee Titans and Arizona Cardinals.