The Denver Broncos were the first NFL team to sign any player out of the UFL this offseason, and they brought in a big name. The team signed wide receiver Hakeem Butler, the UFL Offensive Player of the Year and former 4th-round pick of the Arizona Cardinals.
Butler has gotten many opportunities to stick in the NFL since he was drafted back in 2019, but hasn't been able to do it. The Cardinals let him go at the beginning of the 2020 season, and he has since bounced around to the Panthers, Eagles, Steelers, and Bengals with stints in other professional leagues mixed in.
After a dominating year in the UFL, there was hope that something had really clicked for Butler. He made a couple of standout plays during the Broncos' mandatory minicamp back in June, and had even gotten off to a bit of a hot start to training camp with some big plays as well. But lately, things have taken a turn for the worse with Butler, and he's in danger of the Broncos being the next team on his journeyman list.
Hakeem Butler struggling in recent Broncos training camp practices
#Broncos WR Hakeem Butler had a standout first couple days of camp but has had a couple really low-effort reps today. Just got beat by much smaller CB Brent Austin on go-get it free-play ball
— Luca Evans (@bylucaevans) August 4, 2026
Austin continues to have a nice camp. 5’11 UDFA CB from Cal
Just a few days ago, Luca Evans of The Denver Post made note that Butler had some "really low-effort reps" during practice. At Friday's practice, he was noted for having missed a block to help spring Marvin Mims Jr. for a bigger gain, and also had a fumble forced on him by rookie linebacker Red Murdock.
If you're trying to make it on an NFL roster that is pretty loaded at the receiver position, you can't be stacking days like this.
Of course, it wouldn't be fair to ignore the big plays Butler has made since training camp started, and there are bound to be some swings to the extremes at both ends of the spectrum. But you can live with a dropped pass or two. The things that you can't really forgive are issues like having low effort on a play, missing blocks, and fumbling after you've made a catch.
The preseason will undoubtedly be a huge for Butler. He's not going to get cut over a couple of mistakes made in practice, but if he shows low effort during the preseason, the team will not hesitate to move on.
As a bigger receiver at 6-foot-5, Butler has to utilize that size to his advantage in more than just the passing game as well. Everybody knows he can make plays deep downfield, but what gets you those opportunities on a contending team like the Denver Broncos is the ability to spring your teammates for big gains after the catch with a crucial block, or help seal someone off in the running game.
It's all about doing the "little" things well in practice, and with certain things starting to add up, you can't help but wonder if Butler's days with the Broncos will be numbered.
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