Sean Payton is buying what the UFL is selling.
The Broncos plucked two St. Louis Battlehawks standouts this week — wide receiver Hakeem Butler and cornerback Sean Fresch Jr. — and Denver’s head coach shared that he thinks the spring league has become a real pipeline to the NFL.
“Well, we had them worked out last week,” Payton said this week. “One is really smart at the nickel, he’s a returner, got quick change of direction. There’s a big receiver. There are traits that you see at a position that I think sometimes as you head into camp those are important looks. So both of them had success, and we felt that we helped upgrade the roster.”
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Butler, the 2026 UFL Offensive Player of the Year, caught 87 passes for nearly 1,600 yards and 12 touchdowns over three seasons in St. Louis. Fresch earned all-league honors as a returner, taking 32 punts for 333 yards while adding 29 tackles on defense.
“I asked the question of the scouts the other day like, ‘UFL or CFL? Where are we getting the better (players)?'” Payton said. “I think — I don’t know how many years in, five, six, seven with the UFL, and I think it’s kind of becoming that, ‘OK, where’s the next market?’ They’re getting developed somewhere. Where are they if they’re not in our league? I think to their league’s credit, it’s helping us.”
For players on the fringe of the NFL, Payton sees the spring league as a proving ground.
“Well, they don’t have a choice. But yes,” Payton said. “Do I think guys can go get exposure, get experience, get confidence — history has said there are (Pro Football) Hall of Famers now for our league that played up in the CFL. The USFL is not a fair comparison because that was kind of that back and forth, but I think yes, definitely.”
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Both signings come with Marvin Mims Jr.’s future hovering over the roster. Butler could be a look at receiver depth, while Fresch offers another option in the return game — an area Mims has dominated.
Denver wrapped mandatory minicamp this week before breaking for roughly six weeks ahead of training camp.