GLENDALE, Ariz. — His rookie season is over before it began.
The Arizona Cardinals placed wide receiver Hakeem Butler on injured reserve Sunday with a hand injury. Since he was placed on IR during the preseason, Butler is ineligible to be one of the two allowed players to return this season.
The former Cyclone injured his hand during a preseason game against the Oakland Raiders. NFL Network reported that it was an avulsion fracture, when a tendon or ligament is pulled off a piece of a bone.
Butler was drafted with the first pick of the fourth round in the 2019 NFL Draft after being named to ESPN’s First-Team All-Big 12 squad as a junior in 2018.
During his Cyclone career, Butler totaled 110 receptions, 2,149 receiving yards and 18 touchdowns in three seasons.