Courtland Sutton injury: Broncos should snatch Hakeem Butler

Courtland Sutton is out for 2020. The Denver Broncos could look elsewhere for upside.

The Denver Broncos’ 0-2 start to the 2020 season went from bad to worse to miserable on Monday morning.

It has been reported by multiple major media outlets that star wide receiver Courtland Sutton is going to miss the entire 2020 season with a torn ACL he suffered against the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday.

Quarterback Drew Lock is also going to miss at least two games before his shoulder injury is re-evaluated.

After losing the best player on the team in Von Miller less than two weeks ago, the Broncos will now be without Sutton, their best player on offense.

The Denver Broncos used three selections in the 2020 NFL Draft on the wide receiver position, and all of those guys not only made the team but are now going to have to play expanded roles for the 2020 season than originally anticipated.

The Broncos will count on their own guys primarily, but injuries always open the door for guys to come in whether it’s off the practice squad or from other teams to potentially take advantage of an opportunity, and one player the Denver Broncos should definitely consider is former Arizona Cardinals fourth-round pick Hakeem Butler.

Butler was a star at Iowa State but wasn’t healthy enough to make an impact as a rookie. The Cardinals revamped their wide receiver room in 2020 and Butler was lost in the shuffle. He recently signed on to the Carolina Panthers’ practice squad, but the Broncos could act quickly and poach him out of there.

Butler is exactly the type of player to take a shot on in situations like this.

The Broncos will more likely promote one of Fred Brown or Trinity Benson from their practice squad because they can play special teams and know the offense already, but the Broncos should be in full talent evaluation mode at this stage and a player like Butler is too talented to not consider with Courtland Sutton out for 2020.

Butler is a shade under 6-foot-6, 219 pounds, and in his final two seasons at Iowa State, he caught 101 passes with 16 touchdowns among them. He’s a big weapon in the red zone with strong hands and absolutely outstanding athleticism.

Nobody’s coming off the street and replacing Courtland Sutton, but Butler is a worthwhile shot at the dart board.