70 Adam Butler DT

Butler signed his restricted free agent tender with the Patriots on Friday, Mike Reiss of ESPN.com reports.

While Butler only started two games in 2019, he was still a key piece of interior pressure for the Patriots' defense, amassing six sacks and nine quarterback hits across 16 games last season. The second-round tender will pay the 25-year-old defensive tackle $3.26 million in 2020.

The Patriots applied a second-round tender to Butler on Monday, Mike Reiss of ESPN.com reports.

Butler is a restricted free agent, so New England can now receive compensation should another team sign him via an offer sheet. The 25-year-old had 26 tackles (17 solo), six sacks and five passes defensed in 2019, and he has yet to miss a regular-season contest over his first three seasons.

Butler posted a sack during Sunday's 17-10 win over the Eagles.

Butler, 25, only has 16 tackles on the year, but he's racked up 5.5 sacks in 10 games. Because he does most of his damage in opposing backfields, Butler's value in IDP formats cannot be understated, but his role in New England does have a limited scope, which does impact his fantasy ceiling.

Butler had four tackles (two solo) and two sacks in Sunday's win over the Browns.

Butler didn't have a single tackle in either of the previous two games, but he stepped up to deliver his second two-sack performance of the season against Cleveland. The 25-year-old is enjoying a productive season as a rotational nose tackle for the Patriots with 15 tackles (eight solo) and 4.5 sacks at the halfway point of the season.

Butler notched three assisted tackles and a half-sack in Sunday's win.

With just 25 defensive snaps to play with, Butler still found a way to make an impact in what was a convincing win over the Jets. Despite his low usage rate in Week 3, Butler's performance could see him get more opportunities down the road. Next up for Butler and the Patriots is another divisional matchup, on the road against Buffalo.

Butler recorded three solo tackles, two sacks and one defended pass during Sunday's 43-0 win over the Dolphins.

Butler tied for the team lead in sacks with Chase Winovich on Sunday. He played 37 defensive snaps (60 percent), a sharp uptick from his Week 1 workload of 17 snaps on defense (25 percent). If Butler is able to continue impressing in his rotational role, he could conceivably earn increased opportunities going forward.

Butler suffered a lower leg injury during Sunday's game against the Dolphins, Ryan Hannable reports.

The details of Butler's injury remain undisclosed, but the depth defensive tackle should be considered questionable to return to the Week 4 matchup.