Broncos Add Intrigue to WR Room with Signing of Hakeem Butler

The Denver Broncos made a roster move on the doorstep of mandatory minicamp, signing veteran wide receiver Hakeem Butler, NFL Media's Mike Garafolo reported Monday.

A 2019 fourth-round pick of the Cardinals, Butler had a few cups of coffee in the NFL and a stint in the Canadian Football League before taking his talents to the United Football League, starring for the St. Louis Battlehawks, for whom he earned UFL Offensive Player of the Year honors in 2024 and 2026.

The 6-foot-5, 242-pound wideout was a three-year contributor at Iowa State, where he totaled 110 receptions for 2,149 yards and 18 touchdowns. He posted a 4.48 forty time and 36-inch vertical jump at the Scouting Combine, drawing second-round draft projections.

"Big long-strider with exceptional length and good build-up speed to challenge cover corners and safeties down the field," reads his NFL Media scouting profile. "Butler's unique play strength after the catch allows him to win contested deep balls and then plow through tackle attempts to create chunk plays and long touchdowns. His routes are basic and clunky and will limit how teams can use him. A greater concern will be those inconsistent hands that could turn quarterbacks against him unless he improves them. He's a work in progress, but the traits and potential are worth taking a shot."

After the team completed Organized Team Activities, Butler will join the Broncos for their mandatory three-day minicamp this week — an audition for a potential longer look during training camp in late July.

What This Signing Means

Although Denver's WR room was already logjammed, it's understandable that the organization wants to take a flier (however brief) on Butler's impressive combination of size and speed. At worst, he's an easy roster cut. At best, he's someone worth developing.

Butler won't crack the upper portion of the depth chart, where the likes of Jaylen Waddle, Courtland Sutton, Troy Franklin, and Pat Bryant live. But he could — in an ideal scenario — push Lil'Jordan Humphrey, Michael Bandy, and undrafted rookie Dane Key for future practice-squad exposure.

“I think it’s strong, and I don’t want to just talk about three, or five or seven. When you add to a room like that with someone like Jaylen’s skill set, the level of competition and the results of all of them improve immensely," head coach Sean Payton said last week. "We’re kind of seeing that in practice. Those guys work together well. It’s exciting to see. It’s an area we felt like if we had an opportunity to address before the draft, fortunately we were able to. I’ve said this before: it was going to be difficult at our pick to find someone of that skill set. We feel fortunate it was able to get done.”

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