Josh Butler waited and persevered to live his dream on the Dallas Cowboys

FRISCO — Before he became a Dallas Cowboys cornerback, Josh Butler was a man with a vision. Well, specifically, a man with a vision board.

The board was filled with sticky notes of the life he wanted to live. There were multiple, aimed at keeping him motivated. One of them read, “sign a NFL contract.”

The vision, at the time, could’ve been considered a lofty dream instead. He was not only an undrafted corner out of Michigan State, but also an unheard of corner — if you don’t follow him on TikTok — as well. He spent years in Los Angeles waiting for a team — any team — to call. Inquiries to teams from Mexico, Germany and more went unanswered, until he finally heard from the USFL’s Michigan Panthers in 2023.

“I answered the call,” said Butler, who celebrated his 28th birthday on Monday, “and I was already ready and prepared.”

Seems fitting, because when the Cowboys finally called on Butler, he was also ready and prepared.

Butler, technically a rookie, made his second consecutive start at corner on Sunday in a 34-26 win over the Washington Commanders. He had 54 career tackles in his career at Michigan State. On Sunday, in just a single game, he had 11 combined tackles to go along with three pass breakups.

“I had no idea,” Butler said about his stat line, adding that he didn’t know he had 11 tackles until he was in the postgame locker room and someone told him. “I was just out there having a day.”

A day he’s waited years to live.

‘You never know who’s watching’

On the plane ride to Washington D.C., Cowboys safety Juanyeh Thomas, a fellow undrafted free agent, had some advice for Butler. The Cowboys hadn’t told Butler that he would be active until that day. They didn’t even know they would be without starting corner Trevon Diggs until that day, either.

With things changing fast, Thomas reminded Butler of his journey.

“You were patient your whole life, bro,” Thomas told Butler. “Just go out there and just play free and be you, because we all knew that Josh could ball. It was just the outside world that didn’t. I’m proud of Josh. Josh has been through a lot … he just deserves everything that’s coming to him.”

From a football perspective, Butler may have been an unknown, but he’s been in the public eye for quite some time.

Butler first went viral back in 2019 when he walked on Senior Day at Michigan State with his two dogs, Roxy and Remi. He did that because his mother and father had both passed away during an 18-month span while he was in college.

Butler finished his college career with aspirations to play in the NFL, though they initially went unrealized. He moved to Los Angeles where he began a music career and an acting career, even appearing on the show “All-American,” which is about a rising football player.

Butler’s football career, however, was plateaued at that point. He continued to work and prepare to potentially sign a NFL contract, just as he posted on his vision board.

Butler didn’t have an agent at the time, so he took the onus upon himself to try and find a path to the NFL. He reached out to the Fan Controlled Football League, as well as leagues in Mexico and overseas, just trying to get someone to give him a chance to play. All those calls were made to no avail. Only the Conquerors of The Spring League in 2021 gave him a shot.

Then, in 2023, someone from the Michigan Panthers of the USFL called him and said they were interested. They told him they found his highlight video, randomly, on Facebook.

“You never know who’s watching,” Butler said.

Butler was prepared. He sent his highlights over immediately, and a couple hours later the Panthers told them they wanted to give him his long-awaited chance. They asked him how quickly he could get there.

“I packed up my truck, packed up my dogs, and we drove from California to Michigan,” Butler said, “and the rest is history.”

Butler started 11 games for the USFL Panthers. He had 35 tackles and four pass breakups in a league that would spring multiple players to the NFL, including Cowboys kicker Brandon Aubrey.

Butler eventually signed with the Cowboys before last season and never played in a game. He had to wait until this season before he played in a game. Now he’s not only playing, but making an impact for the Cowboys.

“I can’t say enough about Josh Butler,” Cowboys coach Mike McCarthy said. “He’s earned it. He’s had to wait a long time. And you just love it when these young guys get opportunities, and they’re rewarded with this type of win.

“I’m just happy for him.”

‘That’s life’

Butler has 3.3 million followers on TikTok, so he’s used to his phone being active. After Sunday’s game was no exception. He said he heard from coaches that have spanned his career: from West Mesquite High School, to Michigan State, to the Michigan Panthers.

Even his teammates and coaches with the Cowboys have been quick to tell him congratulations on taking advantage of a hard-earned opportunity.

“They’re just proud of me,” Butler said.

Especially because there were so many points where he could’ve removed that sticky note off his vision board.

Perseverance is a common theme in a NFL locker room. The Cowboys are no exception. Aubrey was a MLS Draft pick and later a software engineer before he became a first-team All-Pro in his rookie season. KaVontae Turpin was a MVP in the spring league before he became one of the league’s best kick returners, as Sunday showcased. Multiple undrafted players started for Dallas on Sunday, including both of their guards, Brock Hoffman and T.J. Bass.

They all persevered, like Butler, but Butler had to go through years of waiting and rejection before he had the chance to play for any professional team, let alone one in the NFL.

Understandably, there were many moments when he thought about giving up.

“But the thing is, man: that’s life,” Butler said. “It’s a lot of ups, and a lot of downs, but it’s always how you look at it. It’s always a perspective. There’s a negative side and a positive side. You can definitely go down a negative road and it can finish you off, or you can always think on that positive side.

“Don’t give up on your dreams, and it can always happen.”

That dream has existed for quite some time. Growing up in Dallas, Butler said he would often play tackle football with his friends on concrete. His jersey of choice: a No. 22 Emmitt Smith jersey, though it became so battered and worn down that the numbers started to come off.

Butler’s connection to the Cowboys didn’t stop there. He remembers his father, Steven, yelling at the TV during Cowboys games. His mother, Ladrida Bagley, would bedazzle all her Dallas Cowboys apparel.

Butler remembers a lot of watching the Cowboys growing up — except on Thanksgiving.

“I was too busy eating,” he said.

On Thursday, he should be too busy playing.