Cincinnati Bengals Sign Two All-UFL Players
The UFL has had a great week of signings as the number of guys heading to NFL training camp continues to increase. Two are on to the Cincinnati Bengals.
Michigan Panthers cornerback Nate Brooks and St. Louis Battlehawks wide receiver Hakeem Butler signed with the Bengals on Friday. Both players were All-UFL selections in the 2024 season.
Butler was the leading receiver in the UFL, gaining 652 yards and adding 45 receptions and five touchdowns. He was named UFL Offensive Player of the Year on top of the All-UFL selection. In 2023, he put in the same production for the Battlehawks in the XFL, making 51 catches for 599 yards and eight touchdowns.
The NFL has seen Butler on three of its teams including the Arizona Cardinals, Philadelphia Eagles and Pittsburgh Steelers. He was also a member of the Edmonton Elks of the CFL in 2022, catching one pass for five yards.
Brooks was one of the top shutdown corners in the UFL last year, with 36 tackles, six pass deflections, two tackles for loss, and one interception in 10 games. He was in the USFL last year with the league champion Birmingham Stallions, posting 42 tackles and two interceptions in 10 games.
Another NFL veteran, Brooks has played for seven teams since 2019. His biggest contributions came in 2019 with the Miami Dolphins. That year, he made 11 tackles in three games with two starts in the secondary.
Cincinnati is no stranger to signing big-name spring football players. Last year, the Bengals brought in Butler's teammate, quarterback A.J. McCarron, to be one of the backups after starter Joe Burrow was injured.
The UFL has seen 27 players sign NFL contracts since the offseason began in June. This week has seen the biggest serge of player signings with 16 landing on NFL rosters.
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ANTHONY MILLER