I think it’s pretty simple really… he’s not as good in the slot as Arrington or Ryan and probably even Butler, and he’s not as good as Browner on the outside. We never really saw him in the slot prior to this year, and I think they started working him there because they knew Browner would take his outside snaps.
The thing is, I think Dennard is the best cornerback the Pats have not dressed in a game since Bill Belichick started here. And Hoodie forbid, but if anything were to happen to Browner or Revis, Dennard would immediately be back in the starting lineup.
He just isn’t as good in the slot as he is on the outside and until his skills inside match his skills outside, he’s probably going to continue to sit behind Ryan even if he’s probably the more overall skilled player.