The Hamilton Tiger-Cats added some quarterback depth with the signing of American David Watford.
Watford will slide in as the No. 3 QB on Hamilton’s depth chart behind Hayden Moore and Dane Evans, whom head coach Orlondo Steinauer said will be given every opportunity to be the starter after learning pivot Jeremiah Masoli suffered a season-ending ACL tear in Friday’s 23-15 win over Winnipeg at Tim Hortons Field.
Watford, 26, appeared in 18 games for the Saskatchewan Roughriders in 2018, completing 15 of 32 passing attempts for 168 yards with one touchdown and two interceptions, while adding 18 carries for 93 rushing yards.
The six-foot-two, 212-pound native of Hampton, Va., originally joined Saskatchewan’s practice squad in October 2017 after spending parts of two seasons (2016-17) in the National Football League with the Philadelphia Eagles.
Watford split his collegiate career between Hampton University (2015) and the University of Virginia (2011-14). He played 10 games for the Hampton Pirates, registering 167 completions on 315 pass attempts (53.0 per cent) for 2,088 yards and 21 touchdowns while adding 75 carries for 182 yards and three rushing touchdowns.
In three seasons over four years at Virginia (he was redshirted in 2012), Watford played 27 games and completed 277 of 505 pass attempts (54.9 per cent) for 2,593 yards and 11 touchdowns. He also added 131 rushing attempts for 255 yards with three rushing touchdowns for the Cavaliers.