The Cincinnati Bengals waived former Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Hakeem Butler, the club announced Friday.
Butler made some highlight reel catches at Steelers training camp last season, but he ultimately fizzled out. Inconsistency and drops were big issues. Before the preseason was over, Butler suffered an undisclosed injury, and the team waived him.
Hakeem Butler turned heads in the United Football League with the St. Louis Battlehawks this past season and was named the UFL’s Offensive Player of the Year. Butler had 45 receptions for a league-high 652 yards and five touchdowns.
Following the Battlehawks’ playoff loss to San Antonio on Sunday, Brahmas head coach Wade Phillips told Butler, “I’m going to tell everyone in the NFL that I talk to, you need to be playing. You deserve it.”
Coming from a coach like Phillips, that’s certainly high praise. Phillips, who has been coaching for 55 years, has a slew of connections in the NFL. He most recently was the defensive coordinator for the Los Angeles Rams (2017-2019) and Denver Broncos (2015-2016).
Butler is a big-bodied receiver that can high-point the ball and make contested catches. Butler’s 6-foot-5, 227 built could be an asset to a team looking for a big receiver. Things didn’t work out with the Steelers last season, but it might behoove of Omar Khan and company to give him another shot. Especially given the lack of depth at the receiver position.
The Arizona Cardinals selected Butler in the fourth round of the 2019 NFL Draft and was released before the 2020 season. Butler joined the Carolina Panthers and Philadelphia Eagles for brief stints before exiting the NFL altogether. Butler played in two NFL games but failed to record a reception.
In 2022, Butler joined the CFL and played for the Edmonton Elks and British Columbia Lions at different points of the season.
Butler almost retired from football after being released by the Edmonton Elks of the CFL in August of 2022, but a Twitter direct message to Battlehawks head coach Anthony Becht gave him another chance.