Former Tennessee Football Defender Matthew Butler Receives Discouraging NFL News

Former Tennessee Vols' football player Matthew Butler has received discouraging NFL news ahead of the 2026 season.

Tennessee defensive lineman Matthew Butler at Tennessee Football Pro Day at Anderson Training Facility in Knoxville, Tenn. on Wednesday, March 30, 2022. Kns Ut Nfl Draft | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

The Tennessee Volunteers have a plethora of different players in the NFL, and they continue to show that they are worth staying on a roster; however, there have been some players that have already started to be cut even before the season, with today being the deadline to trim the teams up to just 53 players.

Matthew Butler Released By the Miami Dolphins

Aug 3, 2026; Miami Gardens, FL, USA; Miami Dolphins defensive tackle Matthew Butler (91) looks on during practice at Baptist Health Training Complex. Mandatory Credit: Sam Navarro-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The third former Tennessee Vol has been linked to some unfortunate news on Sunday, as this time it is former Tennessee football defensive lineman Matthew Butler, who has been released from the Miami Dolphins ahead of the beginning of the season.

This is terrible news, as he was expected to be a solid contributor, especially through the preseason, but with the preseason wrapping up, the Dolphins didn't believe there was a fit for the former Tennessee interior defensive lineman.

As much as this isn't something that the Tennessee fans would want to hear, this isn't something that comes as a shock. The former interior defender is set to be one of the better players in the free agency pool when it comes to filling gaps, but it is safe to say that he wasn't expected to be a contributor for the Dolphins this season.

The Dolphins were likely going to use him as a rotational player at best, with his expectations being set as a possible third-stringer who was competing to be a priority backup. In the preseason, he finished with half a sack, which is still solid considering he is on the inside.

He is just the second former Tennessee player to be announced as cut from his team, and the third player to find out that he won't be on the roster. Former Tennessee football quarterback Joey Aguilar was waived, McCallan Castles was cut, and Matthew Butler was next to join the list, as he will now search for his newest NFL home ahead of the 2026 season.

All Former Tennessee Football Players Who Has Been Waived or Released

Aug 28, 2026; Jacksonville, Florida, USA; Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Joey Aguilar (17) looks on after a preseason game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at EverBank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

• Quarterback: Joey Aguilar (Waived) - Jacksonville Jaguars
• Tight End: McCallen Castles (Released) - Green Bay Packers
• Defensive Lineman: Matthew Butler (Released) - Miami Dolphins

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