Cincinnati Bengals may use one of their final roster spots on UFL Offensive Player of the Year

As the Cincinnati Bengals enter the early days of training camp , they still have three open roster spots to use however they'd like. One of them could be used to sign wide receiver Hakeem Butler.

Per Aaron Wilson of KPRC 2 Houston , the Bengals are hosting a work out for Butler sometime this week.

Butler, a fourth-round pick by the Arizona Cardinals from the 2019 NFL Draft, has played just two career games in the NFL, neither with the franchise who originally drafted him. He eventually found a place in the XFL in 2023, leading the St. Louis Battlehawks in the receiving with 51 receptions for 605 yards and eight touchdowns.

His XFL renaissance earned him a chance with the Pittsburgh Steelers last offseason, but an injury in training camp snuffed that flame real quick . He returned to St. Louis for the inaugural UFL season and picked up right where he left off.

Butler led the entire UFL in receiving yardage (710) on his way to winning Offensive Player of the Year honors for the league. And he did it while catching passes from former Bengals quarterback AJ McCarron, whom the club released in February so he could return to the UFL. Perhaps his QB put in a good word for him to Cincinnati?

Cincinnati does have an aforementioned three roster spots available before they reach the 90-player limit, but it is interesting to learn that another wideout could be added to the mix. The team currently has 11 on the roster as is, and all of them are healthy enough to practice right now.

Third-round pick Jermaine Burton and undrafted players Cole Burgess and Tre Mosley are the three new additions to the group, and they're all set to get reps as the team eases in Ja'Marr Chase and Tee Higgins early in camp.

Giving Butler a shot could just be seeing what he can do following his impressive UFL season. Perhaps the team envisions him as a practice squad player to further develop during the regular season. He'd have an unlikely path to make the 53-man roster with so many receivers already ahead of him.

Related: The one insanely available player the Lions absolutely need pick up with their newly opened roster spot