Broncos Sign Former UFL Pass-Rusher Ron Stone Jr., Waive WR Hakeem Butler

The Denver Broncos made a pair of roster moves ahead of Friday's preseason finale, signing outside linebacker Ron Stone Jr. and waiving wide receiver Hakeem Butler, 9NEWS' Mike Klis confirmed Tuesday.

Stone is the second addition to Denver's 90-man offseason roster in as many weeks, joining veteran safety Taylor Rapp.

Undrafted out of Washington State in 2023, Stone briefly spent time with the Las Vegas Raiders the following year before latching on with the United Football League, where he notched 34 solo tackles and nine sacks across 17 games with both the Michigan Panthers and Columbus Aviators from 2025-26.

The 6-foot-3, 257-pound defender — the son of former two-time Super Bowl champion and All-Pro guard Ron Stone — has yet to appear in an NFL game.

"Stand-up rush linebacker prospect and team captain who comes from NFL bloodline," reads his NFL Media scouting profile. "Stone ran decently and displayed good-lower body explosion at his pro day, but on tape, his movement can be too gradual and not sudden enough. He plays hard and gives good effort against much bigger blockers, but he is overwhelmed by size and brute force as a run defender. Stone lacks burst and bend to threaten at the top of the rush and doesn’t have enough go-to moves and counters to beat NFL tackles."

Stone could suit up in the exhibition closer against the Minnesota Vikings before Denver trims its roster to its final 53-player form.

What These Moves Mean

In Stone's case, it's a tad surprising the Broncos would further bolster a position of strength considering they already have young, up-and-coming talent (Jonah Elliss, Que Robinson, Dondrea Tillman) who remain clear backups behind starting OLBs Nik Bonitto and Jonathon Cooper.

Perhaps the team has not been happy with the preseason performance of former undrafted free agent Johnny Walker Jr., or Stone may replace Drew Sanders, still on the shelf, as a practice squad candidate.

For Butler, the writing on the wall was evident after he failed to corral multiple pass attempts in preseason matchups against the Falcons and Packers. Not long ago an emerging star of training camp, he didn't even manage to surpass middling vet Lil'Jordan Humphrey in the WR pecking order.

The Broncos are expected to carry five or six wideouts on the final roster, with at least four of them seemingly stone-cold locks: Courtland Sutton, Jaylen Waddle, Pat Bryant, and Marvin Mims.

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