OXNARD, Calif. -- Brice Butler was sure something bad had happened to him.
A week ago in one-on-one drills, he and cornerback Chidobe Awuzie got tangled up, and the rookie cornerback came down awkwardly on Butler’s foot and ankle.
“I know I didn’t hear anything pop or anything like that,” Butler said. “but I thought like I messed up some ligaments or something like that. It hurt.”
After X-rays and an MRI came back clean, Butler was diagnosed with a sprained ankle. While he did not play in the preseason game against the Los Angeles Rams, he missed just one day of practice. On Tuesday, he was able to come down with a touchdown catch on a fade route from Kellen Moore over cornerback Duke Thomas. On Wednesday, he did the same to cornerback Sammy Seamster, this time on a pass from Dak Prescott.
“It was good to be able to get back [quickly],” Butler said, “so I didn’t feel like I was out of rhythm or anything.”
Butler had three touchdowns among his 16 catches last season. He re-signed with the Cowboys on a one-year deal, hoping to get a better opportunity. With Terrance Williams’ return as a free agent, Butler finds himself in the same spot on the depth chart, behind Dez Bryant and Williams as an outside receiver.
He is hoping for more opportunities in 2017 and showed in the Hall of Fame Game that he can make difficult catches, finishing with two catches for 78 yards. After a strong spring, Butler has had a strong summer.
“I’m just building on it,” he said. “I feel like I had a good [organized team activities] and then now, just trying to build on my days and stack them up. Really not trying to reach into anything too much. Just going out there and doing my job.”
