Blue Bombers sign Broxton to two-year contract

It took some time but Jarell Broxton is finally a Winnipeg Blue Bomber.

The six-foot-five, 325-pound American offensive lineman signed a two-year deal with Winnipeg on Tuesday, the first day of CFL free agency.

Broxton, 32, spent the last five seasons with the B.C. Lions and last season anchored an offensive line that allowed the fewest sacks across the league and averaged a CFL-record 8.04 yards per play.

While Broxton was B.C.’s most outstanding offensive lineman the past three seasons, he originally signed with Winnipeg in February 2020. The CFL didn’t play that year due to the global COVID-19 pandemic and Broxton went on to join the Lions.

Winnipeg also signed Canadian receiver Tommy Nield to a two-year deal Tuesday. The six-foot-three, 203-pound Guelph, Ont., native had 42 catches for 535 yards and five TDs in 13 regular-season games with the Grey Cup-champion Saskatchewan Roughriders in 2025.

Elsewhere, the Calgary Stampeders signed Canadian receiver Dejon Brissett to a two-year deal. The Mississauga, Ont., native spent the past five seasons with the Toronto Argonauts, winning two Grey Cups.

Brissett was named the top Canadian in Toronto’s ’24 championship win over Winnipeg.

The Ottawa Redblacks signed veteran defensive back Demerio Houston to a one-year deal. The 29-year-old American appeared in five games last year with Winnipeg, and has 14 career picks in 50 contests with the Bombers and Calgary.

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In Hamilton, the Tiger-Cats inked American receiver/returner Mario Alford and Canadian receiver Tyson Middlemost.

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Alford, 34, was the CFL’s top special-teams player in 2022 and spent last season in Saskatchewan where he returned 44 punts for 476 yards over 11 regular-season games.

Middlemost, 28, of Dundas, Ont., had five catches for 34 yards while adding eight special-teams tackles with Edmonton.

But the opening day of free agency was anti-climatic as many of Tuesday’s moves had been previously reported Feb. 1 when the CFL’s negotiation window opened.

Other transactions included:

— Calgary had the first move of the day, signing American defensive back Devodric Bynum. He played 19 games over two seasons with the Edmonton Elks, registering 40 tackles, five interceptions and one forced fumble.

— Saskatchewan signed American defensive lineman James Vaughters. The six-foot-one, 256-pound Vaughters had 36 tackles (four for loss), eight special-teams tackles, six sacks and two fumble recoveries (one returned for TD) in 17 games last season with Winnipeg.

— Ottawa added linebackers C.J. Reavis and Brian Cole II, and defensive lineman Dylan Wynn, all Americans. Reavis had 61 tackles, two sacks an interception and two forced fumbles in 17 regular-season games with Saskatchewan last year, while Hall registered 22 total tackles last year with Hamilton, including 19 on special teams. Wynn spent the past two seasons with Montreal.

— Winnipeg signed veteran American defensive back Jonathan Moxey to a two-year deal. He spent the last two years with Hamilton. Before the noon ET start of free agency, the Bombers agreed to terms with linebacker Jovan Santos-Knox, 31, on a one-year deal. The six-foot-two, 240-pound American began his CFL career in Manitoba (2017-18) but was released this off-season following three years with Ottawa (2023-25).

— Veteran American defensive back DaShaun Amos returned to the Toronto Argonauts after being named a CFL all-star last season with Hamilton (45 tackles, four interceptions, fumble recovery in 18 regular-season games). Before joining the Ticats, Amos played three seasons in Toronto (2022-2024), winning Grey Cups in 2022 and 2024. The Argos also signed Canadian defensive lineman Jonathan Kongbo who had a team-high four sacks last season with Edmonton.

— Montreal signed quarterback Dustin Crum and receiver Jerreth Sterns to one-year contracts. Crum spent the last three seasons with Ottawa and last year ran for 429 yards and 11 touchdowns. Sterns had 48 catches for 530 yards and four TDs in 14 regular-season games with Winnipeg in 2025.

— Hamilton signed Canadian defensive lineman Kene Onyeka and American offensive lineman Eric Lofton. Onyeka, 29, played six seasons with Ottawa (2019, 2021-2025) while Lofton, 32 sent the last two seasons with Winnipeg. The Ticats also signed punter Fraser Masin — taken first overall in last year’s Global draft by Calgary — to a two-year contact before the start of free agency.

— B.C. re-signed defensive back Dawson Pierre and linebacker Maxime Rouyer, both Canadians to two- and one-year deals respectively. Pierre spent the last two seasons with Ottawa while Rouyer has played in 42 regular-season games with the Lions since 2022.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 10, 2026.