With the United Football League wrapping up its debut season last weekend, nearly a dozen of its players have latched onto NFL rosters. Some have even received multi-year deals, suggesting their additions won’t be just camp depth. But there are several more players from the UFL worthy of landing on a 90-man roster this summer. In Bleacher Report’s list of five UFL players who deserve a second shot, two are former Steelers.
David Kenyon lists WR Hakeem Butler and DT Carlos Davis as two who should get another call from the NFL.
“Butler is a near-certainty to land another NFL shot after gathering 45 receptions, a UFL-best 652 yards, and five touchdowns for St. Louis,” Kenyon writes.
A physically imposing wide receiver coming out of Iowa State, Butler’s still searching for his first NFL pass. He’s been on a variety of rosters, drafted by the Arizona Cardinals, but hasn’t been able to find a path to making a team and seeing the field.
The Steelers signed Butler last spring, and he carried plenty of buzz into training camp. But his performance was a letdown, struggling to get open and catch the ball. Per our camp charting, he caught just 12 passes across 16 practices and had four drops across camp, tying him for the team-high. Named our most disappointing player, he failed to catch a pass in preseason action and was waived/injured after camp broke.
The Carolina Panthers reportedly planned to work him out sometime this month. But there’s been no word on Butler signing with a team. Despite another dominant spring league showing, his repeated struggles once on an NFL roster may have teams souring on giving him another chance.
Davis enjoyed a strong year for the UFL Champion Birmingham Stallions, whose dominant defense shut out the San Antonio Brahmas in the title game. He finished the year tied second in the league with seven sacks and posted a pair of tackles in the team’s 25-0 Championship Game victory.
“Carlos Davis isn’t a well-known player, but he emerged as one of the UFL’s best interior defenders with Birmingham,” Kenyon writes.
Pittsburgh made Davis their seventh-round pick in 2020. Though he looked a bit Javon Hargrave-esque at his best moments, squatty and explosive, he wasn’t consistent and failed to find regular playing time. Since being cut by the Steelers, he’s bounced around with the Stallions and Atlanta Falcons. Davis’ strong spring showing should get him into another camp or, at worst, an injury replacement once teams start losing players after they report next month.
Other names to make Kenyon’s list include EDGE Breeland Speaks, QB Adrian Martinez, and K Andre Szmyt.
