The transformation of the NFL into a pass-centric league over the past few decades has forced defensive coordinators to use various five-DB packages as their base defenses. While nickel defenses initially featured smallish cornerbacks in the slot, the league’s adoption of more college concepts has sparked an uptick in three-safety schemes with a hybrid safety/linebacker/cornerback aligning in the slot to put a dynamic defender on the field in place of the third linebacker in a traditional base package.
In theory, the “star” is a multi-faceted playmaker with an alpha dawg mentality who is capable of mixing it up in the box, while also possessing the coverage skills to match up with wide receivers and tight ends in space. Additionally, he flashes pass-rush skills that allow him to create chaos off the edge as a designated blitz defender.
As a member of the Green Bay Packers in the mid-1990s, I watched defensive coordinator Fritz Shurmur create a role that enabled LeRoy Butler to dominate the game from the slot. In a 12-year career spent entirely with the Pack, the 2022 Hall of Fame inductee became one of a few players to rack up at least 20 interceptions (he had 38) and 20 sacks (20.5). He received first-team All-Pro honors four times and earned a spot on the NFL 1990s All-Decade Team.
As a high-IQ defender with superb instincts, awareness and playmaking ability, Butler thrived in a hybrid role that tapped into his unique skills as a former collegiate safety/cornerback at Florida State. It is notable that Butler started his NFL career as a cornerback before transitioning to safety in his third season. The experience of playing on the island served him well when he moved inside to cover tight ends and slot receivers. Butler was stout enough to match up with big-bodied tight ends but also possessed enough quickness to shadow shifty receivers between the numbers.
Butler played in the slot extensively as part of the Packers’ five-DB formations because it allowed him to showcase his strengths as an instinctive playmaker with pass-rush skills. Ultimately, he was at the cutting edge of a trend that eventually saw the slot go from a spot dominated by undersized cornerbacks to a position where teams could place their top defensive back, putting him closer to the action and creating more splash-play opportunities.