Malcolm Butler

New England Patriots safety Malcolm Butler (21) leaves the field after an NFL divisional playoff football game against the Kansas City Chiefs , Saturday, Jan. 16, 2016, in Foxborough, Mass. The Patriots won, 27-20. (AP Photo/Elise Amendola)

(Elise Amendola)

Over the few days, we'll wrap up our position-by-position breakdown of the New England Patriots roster. We continue Tuesday with the cornerbacks.

Let's revisit the cornerbacks review from a year ago. The team had Darrelle Revis, Brandon Browner, Kyle Arrington, Logan Ryan, Malcolm Butler, Alfonzo Dennard, Justin Green and Daxton Swanson under contract before the 2015 league year began.

On February 23, 2015, we analyzed the position: "If the Pats can't reach a deal with Revis, they could be inclined to chase free agents such as Seattle's Byron Maxwell or San Diego's Brandon Flowers. Obviously, neither comes close to comparing to Revis."

This, of course, did not turn out to be necessary. Following the mass exodus of the 2015 offseason, cornerback was viewed as a question mark heading into the offseason. It is not viewed that way any longer, as Malcolm Butler made a Pro Bowl in his second season and Logan Ryan took a major leap forward in Year Three.

A breakdown of where the Pats corners stand today:

UNDER CONTRACT

Malcolm Butler: Unique situation here. The Pats will want to keep Butler happy, but they'll also be tempted to keep Butler at his ridiculously cheap price tag. He's on the books for a mere $600,000 in 2016 and then he becomes a restricted free agent in 2017. The Pats can retain Butler for cheap in 2017, too, but they run the risk of losing him as a restricted free agent if another team is willing to part with a first-round pick.

Here's the scenario that would make the most sense: The Pats pay Butler his $600,000 salary in 2016 and then negotiate a long-term deal near/at the end of next season. For reference, Denver's Chris Harris Jr. was in a similar spot. An undrafted free agent in 2011, Harris inked a five-year, $42.5 million extension late in the 2014 season.

Logan Ryan: The future looks bright for Ryan, who just turned 25 years old. He enjoyed a breakout third season and is entering a contract year. Like Butler, he's affordable in 2016. He'll command a sizable deal on his second contract, though. The Pats would be wise to retain Ryan for the long-term.

Leonard Johnson: Signed to a two-year deal toward the end of the 2015 regular season, Johnson burst onto the scene as the team's No. 3 cornerback but slowly faded as the year wore on. He was eventually beat out by Justin Coleman for the nickel spot. Just 25 years old, the four-year veteran figures to be part of the cornerback competition in 2016.

Darryl Roberts: This might be an overstatement, but Roberts will be one of the most interesting players to monitor as we head into 2016. A seventh-round pick in 2015, Roberts has excellent physical ability. His Pro Day at Marshall was among the most impressive of any player at any position from a year ago. A wrist injury suffered in the preseason opener landed Roberts on the injured reserve, a move that suggested the Patriots viewed him as a developmental player more so than someone who would contribute as a rookie.

Roberts is signed through 2018 and will have the chance to carve out a role next year.

Brock Vereen: Spent time on the practice squad a year ago before signing a futures deal. Vereen, a former fourth-round pick, played in 16 games and started three as a rookie with the Bears in 2014.

Rashaan Melvin: Melvin was claimed off waivers from Baltimore, but didn't last long on the 53-man roster before he was waived and re-signed to the practice squad. At 6-foot-2, he has great length. He was signed to a futures deal at the end of the season.

FREE AGENTS

Justin Coleman: An exclusive rights free agent, Coleman will almost assuredly be back in New England for his second year. He battled through a hand injury and then suffered a concussion late in 2015. By season's end, he was the team's No. 3 corner.

Tarell Brown: Brown's season-ending foot injury opened the door for Logan Ryan to take one of the starting cornerback spots. Brown impressed in the preseason, but his foot must be a concern. It has landed him on injured reserve in each of the past two years. He is also 31 years old, and the Pats have a nice core of young players at corner.