The Cincinnati Bengals have signed WR Hakeem Butler, who spent time with the Pittsburgh Steelers last offseason. Butler is coming off another impressive season in the UFL, where he won the Offensive Player of the Year award with the St. Louis Battlehawks. Cincinnati announced the signing today.
We have signed the following free agents:
CB Nate Brooks
WR Hakeem Butler
P Ryan Rehkow— Cincinnati Bengals (@Bengals) July 26, 2024
He was also an All-XFL member in 2023 prior to joining Pittsburgh.
Butler was with the Steelers during training camp last season but was eventually waived/injured and received an injury settlement from the team. He returned to the Battlehawks where he had 45 catches for a league-high 652 yards and five touchdowns.
He a former fourth-round pick by the Arizona Cardinals out of Iowa State in the 2019 NFL Draft, but he’s played in just two career NFL games and hasn’t registered an NFL reception. In Cincinnati, he’s joining a receiving corps that features Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins along with Trenton Irwin, rookie Jermaine Burton, Charlie Jones and Andrei Iosivas. Butler gives Cincinnati another body in the receiver room with Chase currently holding in.
Cincinnati lost Tyler Boyd this offseason to the Tennessee Titans, and Butler can look to carve out a depth role for the Bengals if he’s able to impress and form a connection with Joe Burrow. However, up to this point in his career, he’s struggled to separate and just simply hasn’t looked like an NFL-ready wide receiver despite thriving in the XFL and UFL.
He’s going to have to show improvement from his stint in Pittsburgh if he wants to make the roster, but given his UFL success, it’s an intriguing signing by the Bengals. His XFL success didn’t translate in Pittsburgh last summer and given his lack of success in the NFL in the past, this might be Butler’s last shot to prove he’s an NFL-caliber receiver.
