Steelers WR Hakeem Butler Crafting Comeback Story
PITTSBURGH -- Hakeem Butler arrived at Pittsburgh Steelers training camp as an unassuming member of the 90-man roster's receiving corps. A former star for Iowa State and the XFL's St. Louis BattleHawks, he was cast away by the CFL and the NFL, but has pieced together the beginnings of a comeback story after a massive day three.
Taking most of his reps against fellow third-teamers, Butler was unguardable. He hauled in two explosive pass plays along the sideline and added a handful of shorter catches as well. At 6'5 and 227 pounds, Butler has been expected to make those kinds of plays since his college days playing with Brock Purdy, who is now the starting quarterback of the San Francisco 49ers.
"I used to tell him to just give me the ball and we’ll figure it out once it’s in the air," Butler said.
If nothing else, Butler is confident, but that wasn't always the case. The Arizona Cardinals selected him in the fourth round of the 2019 Draft but broke his hand in the preseason and didn't play a game. He signed with the Panthers and Eagles but was waived twice more.
Butler said he almost gave up on himself and the football altogether. He considered going back to school to pursue a masters degree or getting into coaching, but Butler stuck it out just a little longer.
He took another shot at professional football in the CFL, earning a training camp invite with the British Columbia Lions and Edmonton Elks, but neither team opted to retain his services for regular season games during the 2022 season. Still, that international experience made him only more confident that he could make it at the highest level of football.
"I went to Canada twice, was better than everybody there," Butler said. "I’m not a cocky guy, I truly say that very humbly. Coaches really didn’t give me a chance because I was American. Came back home and was like, ‘I know I’m the guy. I know I can play.’"
That confidence proved to be well-placed when he led the St. Louis BattleHawks in receptions, receiving yards, and touchdowns during the 2023 season. It was a good enough year to earn Butler an invite to OTAs with the Steelers, and while those practices were quiet, he announced himself at training camp.
The big-play abilities that were so obvious in college and the XFL were on full display as he lit up the third-team defense at a rain-soaked St. Vincent College. The climb from training camp invitee to the 53-man roster is long and difficult, but more days like this and he will be impossible for the Steelers to deny.
Butler emphasized that this is only day three. There are no pads, live reps or real opportunities to prove oneself on special teams, where Butler said he's caught the attention of NFL coaches before as a gunner.
The raw potential has finally manifested on the field and affirmed Butler's belief in himself. Driven and unsatisfied, he's hoping to capitalize on the momentum he's created.
"I almost gave up on myself, truthfully," Butler said. "Almost gave up on the game, but I just kept fighting, kept my head down. This is just another chance to prove to myself that I am that guy, I can be that guy. I feel that in myself.”
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