Packers should have interest in wide receiver Hakeem Butler

The Packers should be interested in free agent WR Hakeem Butler.

As rosters are trimmed to 53 players across the league, it’s a challenging time for players and coaches. But for some players who don’t make it on a roster with one team, it can lead to a great opportunity with another team.

That’s why the Green Bay Packers should have interest in wide receiver Hakeem Butler, a former fourth-round pick who was released by the Arizona Cardinals on Friday.

It’s clear the Packers are still considering adding a wide receiver, and Butler could be an interesting addition to the roster if Green Bay puts in a successful waiver claim.

Things didn’t work out in Arizona for Butler, who was a fourth-round pick by the Cardinals only last year. Butler missed his entire rookie season due to a hand injury and didn’t get the opportunity to prove himself.

Part of that is due to the Cardinals’ impressive depth at wide receiver with DeAndre Hopkins, Larry Fitzgerald, Christian Kirk, and Andy Isabella all on the roster. It would be a tough task to get regular targets in an offense featuring such a talented group of receivers.

Butler is 6-foot-5 and ran an impressive 4.48-second 40-yard dash at the combine. In 2018, he had 60 receptions for 1,318 yards and nine touchdowns at Iowa State.

Ahead of the 2019 NFL Draft, Bleacher Report’s Matt Miller gave Butler a second-round grade and compared him to Demaryius Thomas. Joe Marino of The Draft Network wrote that Butler has an “intriguing toolbox with considerable upside to develop into a productive X receiver at the next level”.

It’s surprising the Cardinals gave up on Butler so quickly, but that doesn’t mean he can’t still become a good receiver at the NFL level. Remember, Allen Lazard didn’t make the Jacksonville Jaguars’ 53-man roster in his rookie season.

Butler would be an interesting addition to the Packers offense. If they put in a successful waiver claim, it can be a low-risk, high-reward move.