The Canadian Football League‘s free agency floodgates officially opened just after noon Eastern Time Tuesday, allowing teams to attract talented players to restock and improve their rosters.
The Hamilton Tiger-Cats already made the biggest splash in the offseason with the signing of new No. 1 quarterback Bo Levi Mitchell and the front office has been working to add more elite players to the mix.
The Ticats reportedly signed a number of players during the CFL’s free agency negotiation window from Feb. 5-12, including middle linebacker Jameer Thurman of the Calgary Stampeders, B.C. Lions running back James Butler and defensive lineman Casey Sayles of the Winnipeg Blue Bombers.
The club has yet to officially confirm Butler’s deal as of Feb. 15.
Here’s a list of the Ticats signings as they began to be confirmed in mid-February:
Javien Elliott
Tuesday afternoon, the franchise confirmed defensive back Javien Elliott had signed to a two-year deal with the Cats.
Elliott, 29, registered eight defensive tackles in four games with the Calgary Stampeders in 2022.
The 5’10, 185-pound native of Panama City, Florida has played five games over two seasons with the Stampeders (2021-22) registering 12 defensive tackles.
D’haquille “Duke” Williams
Receiver D’haquille “Duke” Williams was also brought on by the Cats Tuesday.
Williams, 29, suited up in eight regular season games for the Saskatchewan Roughriders last season, registering 29 receptions for 480 yards and four receiving touchdowns.
He’s played 43 games over four seasons in the Canadian Football League with the Roughriders (2021-22) and Edmonton (2017-18).
Ja’Gared Davis
Lineman Ja’Gared Davis has also agreed to terms with the Ticats.
Davis, 32, suited up in 14 regular season games and two playoff games for the Toronto Argonauts in 2022, registering 36 defensive tackles, one tackle for loss and four pass knockdowns.
The 6’1, 238-pound native of Crockett, Texas has played 89 games over six seasons in the Canadian Football League with the Argonauts (2022), Tiger-Cats (2019-22) and Calgary Stampeders (2016-18).
Joel Figueroa
Lineman Joel Figueroa signed a two-year contract with the Ticats on Wednesday.
Figueroa, 33, started 18 regular season games and the Western Final at left tackle for the BC Lions in 2022.
The 6’6, 320-pound native of Miami, Florida has played 108 games over his nine seasons in the Canadian Football League with the Hamilton Tiger-Cats (2013-15), Edmonton (2016-17) and BC Lions (2018-22).
Casey Sayles
Defensive lineman Casey Sayles also put pen to paper for a two-year deal.
Sayles, 27, started 18 games for the Winnipeg Blue Bombers in 2022, registering 36 total tackles, one tackle for loss, six quarterback sacks, two forced fumbles and one pass knockdown.
The 6’4, 282-pound native of Omaha, Nebraska has played 32 games over two seasons with the Blue Bombers (2021-22).
Jameer Thurman
Jameer Thurman’s deal was finally revealed on Wednesday afternoon.
Thurman, 28, started 15 games in 2022 for the Calgary Stampeders at middle linebacker, registering 75 total tackles, including 74 defensive tackles, four tackles for loss, two forced fumbles, three interceptions and two pass knockdowns.
The 6’0, 227-pound native of Chicago, Illinois, has played 64 games over his four seasons with the Calgary Stampeders (2017-18, ’21-22).
Llevi Noel
Wide receiver Llevi Noel was announced as a Cats signing on Wednesday afternoon.
Noel, 31, suited up in 11 games for the Edmonton Elks in 2022, registering one reception for nine yards while adding six special teams tackles.
The 6’2, 198-pound native of Toronto, Ontario has played 91 games over his seven seasons in the Canadian Football League with the Elks (2022), Ottawa Redblacks (2022) and Toronto Argonauts (2016-21).
Kwaku Boateng
Canadian defensive lineman Kwaku Boateng also joins the Ticats.
Boateng, 27, spent 2022 with the Ottawa Redblacks but missed the season due to injury.
The 6’2, 257-pound native of Milton, Ontario has played 64 games over four seasons in the Canadian Football League with the Edmonton Elks (2017-21), registering 83 total tackles, 25 quarterback sacks and two forced fumbles.
The Wilfrid Laurier University product was originally selected by Edmonton in the fifth round, 41st overall of the 2017 CFL Draft.
Tim White
Hamilton has re-signed receiver Tim White.
White, 28, started 17 regular season games and one playoff game for the Tiger-Cats, leading the CFL in receptions (94) while registering 1,265 receiving yards and eight receiving touchdowns, which ranked fourth and sixth in the league respectively.
The 5’10, 185-pound native of Santa Clarita, California has suited up in 30 games over two seasons in Hamilton (2021-22).
Simoni Lawrence
The Hamilton Tiger-Cats have re-signed their franchise leader in tackles, linebacker Simoni Lawrence, for a 10th season.
Lawrence, 34, started nine games for the Tiger-Cats in 2022, registering 41 defensive tackles and two tackles for a loss.
The 6’1, 231-pound Pennsylvania native suited up for 136 games over his nine seasons with the Tiger-Cats, posting franchise records in defensive tackles (643) and total tackles (650).
Lawrence, who began his CFL career in Edmonton, is a three-time CFL All-Star and five-time CFL East Division All-Star.
He’s been named the East Division nominee for Most Outstanding Defensive Player on three occasions.
Find the CFL’s free-agent tracker on their website.
Hamilton, which finished last season in third place in the East Division at 8-10, has also lost some familiar names to other teams, including defensive end Julian Howsare to Calgary and defensive back Cariel Brooks to the Ottawa Redblacks.
In other marquee signings across the league, Edmonton has inked receiver Geno Lewis, Winnipeg is bringing receiver Kenny Lawler back into the fold, and Montreal has signed QB Cody Fajardo.
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