Now that the Pittsburgh Steelers’ 2022 season is over, the team finishing above .500 but failing to make the postseason, we turn our attention to the offseason and everything that means. One thing that it means is that some stock evaluations are going to start taking on broader contexts, reflecting on a player’s development, either positively or negatively, over the course of the season. Other evaluations will reflect only one immediate event or trend. The nature of the evaluation, whether short-term or long-term, will be noted in the reasoning section below.
Player: WR Hakeem Butler
Stock Value: Purchased
Reasoning: While it was reported a while ago that they were expected to sign him, it wasn’t until the 17th that wide receiver Hakeem Butler officially became a member of the Steelers. A former mid-round draft pick, he should compete for one of the final roster spots in 2023.
Although he only went in the fourth round of the 2019 NFL Draft, selected by the Arizona Cardinals, Hakeem Butler is a player coming out of Iowa State that it seemed many scouts, amateur and otherwise, were very high on. Many thought that he was a day-two talent.
And yet he’s played all of two games in his NFL career, both coming in 2020 with the Philadelphia Eagles. He has one offensive snap under his belt, being targeted on that play without making the catch. But he does have a taste of professional football success.
The Steelers signed Butler after completing his season with the XFL’s St. Louis BattleHawks, for whom he caught 51 passes for 599 yards with eight touchdowns, all among the best numbers in the entire league for each individual statistic.
Injuries have been a troubling theme in Butler’s career, though. He missed all of his rookie season after breaking his hand during training camp, failing to make the roster a year later. He spent some time with the Eagles later that year, as noted, mostly on the practice squad, having actually converted to tight end. Again, he did not make the team in 2021.
He was out of the NFL entirely in 2022, even struggling to stick with a team in the Canadian Football League, yet he somehow managed to catch on in the XFL. As mentioned, he put up good numbers and attracted NFL attention once again, now in Pittsburgh.
Can he finally live up to his potential—or at least merit a spot on a 53-man roster for more than a couple of games here and there? The Steelers want to give him the opportunity to find out, though he may be fighting for precious real estate.
Only Diontae Johnson, George Pickens, and Allen Robinson II should be considered locks to make the roster, though Calvin Austin III is very likely to make the team as well. At least one wide receiver is likely to be kept for special teams, such as Miles Boykin, but you also have Anthony Miller and Gunner Olszewski to consider, not to mention Dan Chisena, a special teams ace. Suffice it to say that Butler will very much have to earn his way onto this team.
