A part of the NFL offseason that never gets enough attention is the waiver wire. Especially after final roster cuts. Many times in the past teams have scooped up seemingly discarded trash from other franchises only to reveal the player is actually quite good. The Chicago Bears have proven this in the past. Gary Fencik is a classic example. Cre’Von LeBlanc was a more recent one.
Rest assured GM Ryan Pace will have his eyes open when the cuts start to flood the wire. There are certain positions on the roster that look somewhat iffy in terms of depth. Not only that but he could just as easily want to grab a talent he believes was simply misused and could do better here. So are there any interesting names floating around?
One that should catch the eye comes out of Arizona. The Cardinals have been really active at wide receiver over the past two offseasons. Enough to where they’ve developed a bit of a crowded room. Josh Weinfuss of ESPN believes this traffic jam will end up getting a talented 4th round pick from last year pushed out.
“The Year 2 jump will be essential for receivers like Isabella and Johnson. I don’t see Hakeem Butler making the cut as the Cardinals’ rotation won’t be as deep as many think with the trio of Hopkins, Fitzgerald and Kirk getting most of the snaps.”
Butler is such an impressive story. He lost his mother to cancer when he was just 16. His father was never in the picture. He managed to get a scholarship from Iowa State but the coach who recruited him was fired after his freshman year. He was almost invisible in his sophomore year. Finally, in 2017, he seemed to start coming around with over 600 yards and seven TDs.
That set the stage for 2018 when he exploded for 1,318 yards and nine touchdowns. This enabled him to become the first Cyclones receiver to be drafted in 34 years and the highest drafted since 1977. Butler stands 6’6 with imposing size and is a physical runner after the catch. He also has 4.48 speed. Draft expert Jon Ledyard of The Draft Network was a huge fan.
“As a route runner, in the air and post-catch Butler is a force to be reckoned with, capable of separating from defensive backs underneath, Mossing them at the catch point down the field or tossing them around after the catch. He projects best to an X-receiver role in the NFL, but he played in the slot a ton at Iowa State and an NFL team would be wise to deploy him in a similar fashion. Butler should be an early impact starter with All-Pro upside by year three.”
Two factors. An untimely hand injury that ended his rookie year in 2019 before it began. Then there was the arrival of DeAndre Hopkins via trade. Those two events cooled his stock in Arizona. That does not mean he’s a lost cause. He’s only 24-years old and healthy now. The Bears have a respected receivers coach in Mike Furrey. He could do some work with a talent like that.
