The one constant in the Canadian Football League is change and the Hamilton Tiger-Cats have had their fair share of it as the team prepares to kick off its 2023 training camp.
McMaster University is acting as the host site for the Ticats camp, as it has over the last several years, as the club launches into what it hopes will be the year it finally brings a Grey Cup championship back to Steeltown.
The Cats won’t have to travel very far if they do, in fact, end their 23-year-long title drought. Hamilton is hosting the 110th edition of the CFL championship on Nov. 19.
Orlondo Steinauer is entering his fourth season as head coach and sports an all-time record of 31 wins and 19 losses while on Hamilton’s sideline. The Hall of Fame defensive back is one of only eight coaches in Tiger-Cats history to have a winning record along with Carl Voyles, Jim Trimble, Ralph Sazio, Joe Restic, Jerry Williams, Frank Kush and Al Bruno.
Offensive coordinator Tommy Condell and defensive coordinator Mark Washington remain on Steinauer’s staff and Jeff Reinebold has returned as special teams coordinator following the departure of Craig Butler. Reinebold has been with the Cats twice before from 2013-16 and 2019-21. Former Toronto Argonauts head coach Scott Milanovich, who led the club to a Grey Cup title in 2012, has also joined Hamilton’s coaching ranks as a senior assistant coach.
The most notable personnel switch on the field comes at quarterback after Hamilton acquired the rights to Bo Levi Mitchell in a trade with the Calgary Stampeders and subsequently signed the two-time Grey Cup champion to a three-year contract in January. Mitchell, 33, replaces QB Dane Evans after the latter struggled with turnovers in 2022 and was dealt to the B.C. Lions.
Hamilton has surrounded Mitchell with some talented weapons to go along with all-star receiver Tim White. The team added receiver Duke Williams and running back James Butler in free agency but released receiver Bralon Addison earlier this week after the 29-year-old suited up for only 11 games over the last two seasons due to various injuries. The offensive line has also been beefed up with the addition of hulking left tackle Joel Figueroa.
It is the Tiger-Cats defence that has undergone the biggest makeover this offseason even after it ranked second in the CFL last year in yards allowed and topped all teams in rushing defence, first downs allowed and pass knockdowns. The big knock against Hamilton’s D last year was the lack of turnovers it generated (30), a category that left the unit dead last in 2022.
Gone are defensive linemen Julian Howsare (Calgary) and Micah Johnson (Saskatchewan), linebackers Jovan Santos-Knox (Ottawa) and Kameron Kelly (XFL), and defensive backs Jumal Rolle (Montreal), Ciante Evans (Montreal) and Cariel Brooks (Ottawa).
The Ticats signed defensive ends Ja’Gared Davis and Kwaku Boateng, defensive tackle Casey Sayles, linebacker Jameer Thurman and defensive backs Chris Edwards and Javien Elliott. They join mainstays like defensive lineman Dylan Wynn, safety Tunde Adeleke and 34-year-old linebacker Simoni Lawrence who is entering his eleventh season in the league and tenth with Hamilton.
Sophomore kicker Seth Small is back after enjoying a remarkable rookie campaign in which he was named Hamilton’s Most Outstanding Rookie and Special Teams player in 2022. The 23-year-old broke the franchise record for the highest field goal percentage in a single season when he converted 90.7 per cent of his attempts (39-43) last year.
Australian punter Blake Hayes returns for his second season in the league after he played one regular season game against Ottawa and the East Semifinal in Montreal last year. He punted 12 times in those two outings and averaged 46.9 yards per kick.
The Ticats are scheduled to play a preseason game at home against the defending Grey Cup champion Toronto Argonauts on May 27 and will visit the Montreal Alouettes on June 2 in their final exhibition tilt. Hamilton kicks off the regular season on June 9 in Winnipeg and their home opener is set for June 23 against the Alouettes.
The 5th Quarter postgame show will return to 900 CHML on May 27 and will air 30 minutes after the conclusion of each game. The program is broadcast on the radio, online at 900chml.com, on the Radioplayer Canada app, and on CHML’s Facebook page.
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