CFL FREE AGENCY TRACKER
HAMILTON – The Tiger-Cats announced Tuesday that the football club has signed All-Star international defensive back Abdul Kanneh.
Kanneh, 26, has appeared in 43 games with the Ottawa Redblacks over the past three seasons (2014-16), registering 138 defensive tackles, 12 interceptions, three sacks and five forced fumbles. The 5-10, 185-pound defensive back also played in four playoff games with the Redblacks including two Grey Cup appearances in 2015 and 2016. He was an East Division All-Star and Grey Cup Champion last season, and a CFL All-Star in 2015.
In 2013, Kanneh was signed as an undrafted free agent by the National Football League’s Cleveland Browns and attended training camp with the team. The native of London, England also played one season (2014) with the Orlando Predators in the Arena Football League.
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(Edmonton) – The Edmonton Eskimos have signed free agent punt returner Kendial Lawrence.
Eskimos Vice President of Football Operations and General Manager Ed Hervey will be available to media today, February 14, at 3 p.m. on the first floor of The Brick Field at Commonwealth Stadium.
The native of Rockwall, Texas played 11 games for Saskatchewan last season, recording 37 kick returns for 752 yards and three missed field goal returns for 50 yards. He added 37 carries for 150 yards with one rushing touchdown and 17 receptions for 129 yards before he was traded to Hamilton in October.
The Eskimos also signed free agent defensive back Andrew Lue.
Lue was originally selected by Montreal in the second round of the 2014 CFL Draft. He was traded to Saskatchewan in October 2016.
In 25 career games, the six-foot-two, 210-pound native of Markham, Ontario has amassed 25 special teams tackles.
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TORONTO – The Toronto Argonauts have signed international quarterback Jeff Mathews, the team announced Tuesday.
Mathews signs in Toronto following three seasons with the Hamilton Tiger-Cats. In 35 career games, five of which he started in, he has completed 116-of-171 passes (67.8%) for 1,497 yards and seven touchdowns. During his 2015 rookie CFL season, he led the Ticats in rushing touchdowns (6) and passed for 1,048 yards and six touchdowns in five starts and relief action.
The 6-4, 229-pound, native of Camarillo, California, played four seasons at Cornell University. In 38 games with the Big Red, he completed 901 of 1,447 passing attempts for 11,284 yards and 72 touchdowns to become the most prolific passer in Ivy League and Cornell history, while ranking among the top-20 all-time quarterbacks in FCS history.
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OTTAWA – The Ottawa RedBlacks dipped into free agency to replenish their solid receiving corps.
According to a league source, Ottawa signed Kenny Shaw on Tuesday, less than two hours after the noon ET start of free agency. Shaw, 25, had 77 catches for 1,004 yards and five TDs last season with the Toronto Argonauts.
The REDBLACKS also signed international linebacker Khalil Bass on Tuesday afternoon with the club’s first official move of CFL Free Agency.
Bass, a native of Encino, California spent the first two years of his career with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers. The 26-year-old had 82 tackles, three sacks and four interceptions last season in 17 appearances. In 2015, Bass recorded 99 tackles, five sacks and an interception in 18 games.
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WINNIPEG – The Winnipeg Blue Bombers signed offensive lineman Sukh Chungh to a contract extension through the 2018 season Tuesday.
Chungh was entering the final year of his contract this season.
Winnipeg took Chungh second overall in the 2015 draft. He started 18 games that season and 16 in 2016.
“When we drafted Sukh, this is the exact type of development we were hoping for and expecting, quite honestly,” Winnipeg GM Kyle Walters said in a statement. “He’s a hard-nosed, tough, talented lineman who plays the game on the edge and brings a feistiness to our offensive line.
Meanwhile the Blue Bombers also announced the club has signed International defensive tackle Drake Nevis.
Nevis (6-2, 300, LSU, May 8, 1989, in Marrero, LA) has spent the past two seasons with the Hamilton Tiger-Cats where in 2016 he started 14 games at defensive tackle. Nevis recorded 29 tackles, five quarterback sacks and one pass knock down.
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MONTREAL – Ryan Phillips has found a new home with the Montreal Alouettes.
A CFL source said the veteran defensive back signed a one-year deal Tuesday with Montreal. Phillips, 34, was released last week after 12 seasons with the B.C. Lions.
The Alouettes didn’t immediately confirm the move but Phillips all but did in a tweet to Darian Durant, Montreal’s new starting quarterback.
“@dariandurant let’s have fun my brother. #21 #4 #MTL,” Phillips said on his official Twitter account.
Prior to the start of CFL free agency at noon ET on Tuesday, Montreal signed Canadians Nicolas Boulay and Kyle Graves to contract extensions. Both were pending free agents.
Boulay and Graves both signed two-year extensions.
The Alouettes also announced Tuesday that they have reached an agreement with international kicker Boris Bede on a new one-year deal. Bede was set to become a free agent Tuesday at noon.
Bede (6’4″, 225 lbs.) will put on the Alouettes uniform for a third consecutive year in 2017. He has suited up for 28 regular season games in his young professional career. The 27-year-old kicker earned the Most Outstanding Rookie honour for the Alouettes in 2015, becoming quickly an elite playerat his positionin the league. That same year Boris made an impressive total of 36 of his 40 field goal attempts (90%) which put him second in the CFL, while rewriting the Alouettes record book at the same time. He also dominated on kickoffs by having an incredible average of 65.2 yards per kick.
“I had the chance to work closely with Boris since he joined our organization. I believe that he has the potential to become an elite multidimensional kicker in this league”, commented the Alouettes General Manager Kavis Reed. “He possesses an extremely powerful leg, and we hope he develops himself to become an impactful player and a key contributor for our special teams unit”, continued Reed.
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VANCOUVER – The B.C. Lions were the first team to dip into free agency, signing defensive back Buddy Jackson to a one-year contract Tuesday.
Jackson played in six games last season with the Saskatchewan Roughriders, registering 21 tackles. His signing came less than an hour after the start of the free-agent period at noon ET.
“Buddy is a key veteran addition to our secondary,” GM/head coach Wally Buono said. “He’s a physical defender with good size and range and we expect him to be a playmaker on defence this year.”
The acquisition of Jackson addresses a need for the Lions, who last week released veteran defensive back Ryan Phillips.
Jackson also spent parts of three seasons with the Calgary Stampeders before signing with the NFL’s Dallas Cowboys in 2015.
B.C. also signed veteran Canadian receiver Marco Iannuzzi, defensive back Ronnie Yell and defensive lineman Mic’hael Brooks to contract extensions. Iannuzzi and Brooks signed deals through the 2018 season while Yell’s contract was for 2017.
All were eligible to become free agents at noon ET on Tuesday.
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CALGARY – The Calgary Stampeders signed receiver Marquay McDaniel and defensive lineman Micah Johnson to contract extensions Tuesday, hours before the two Americans were scheduled to become free agents.
Both deals are through the 2018 season.
McDaniel was Calgary’s leading receiver last season with 83 catches for 1,074 yards and four TDs in 16 games. It marked the third time in four years McDaniel had surpassed the 1,000-yard mark.
“Marquay is one of the most reliable and well-rounded receivers in the CFL and I’m pleased that he has chosen to remain with the Red and White,” John Hufnagel, Calgary’s GM/president, said in a statement. “He has been a key contributor to our offensive success since joining the team and I’m confident that will continue to be the case.”
Johnson started 17 games last year and registered career highs in tackles (36) and sacks (seven).
“Micah has established himself as one of the premier interior linemen in the CFL and he is a key part of our defence,” Hufnagel said. “I’m pleased that we were able to come to an agreement and I look forward to seeing Micah continue to perform at a high level.”
(CP)
