Former Pittsburgh Steelers WR Hakeem Butler is looking for another NFL home. This time, he might not be able to find it. His most recent stay in the league has become a short one, Butler one of 11 players the team released/waived Friday afternoon.
Butler spent the 2023 spring and summer with the Steelers after starring with the XFL St. Louis Battlehawks earlier in the year. A former fourth-round pick with size and college playmaking, Butler disappointed during training camp. He struggled to create separation and catch the ball before being waived with an injury late in the summer.
He returned to the Battlehawks in 2024 as part of the UFL, the XFL/USFL merger. Like 2023, Butler had a big year and named the UFL Offensive Player of the Year. That opened the NFL door and after a couple of tryouts, the Bengals signed him in late July.
Across three preseason games, Butler’s impact was minimal. On three targets, he caught one pass for 12 yards in the opener but was kept off the stat sheet across the next two contests.
With another unsuccessful summer, it’s hard to see him landing another NFL opportunity. Butler’s proven he can be a great spring player against lower competition but falters against the best of the best. He’ll likely return to the Battlehawks and make his name there, but his NFL days appear to be over. If so, his career will end without a catch with an NFL team, receiving a lone target with the Philadelphia Eagles in 2020.
Beyond Butler, Carman’s release is the most notable subtraction. The Bengals’ second round pick in 2021, Carman struggled to see the field. After making six starts as a rookie, he’s appeared in just five games over the past two seasons. In 2023, he logged only 12 offensive snaps.
The Bengals are the first team to begin trimming their roster ahead of Tuesday’s cutdowns. By Aug. 27 at 4 PM/EST, all teams must have a 53-man roster. Pittsburgh will likely begin trimming its roster Monday and into Tuesday, generally working a bit quicker under GM Omar Khan than Kevin Colbert.
