THURSDAY’S CFL FREE AGENT SIGNINGS
TORONTO – The Toronto Argonauts signed Canadian defensive end James Tuck and American receiver Jeff Fuller on Thursday.
The six-foot, 230-pound Tuck, a native of Aurora, Ont., played 29 games the last three seasons with the Montreal Alouettes and Winnipeg Blue Bombers.
Tuck, who played collegiately at York, had 13 special-teams tackles over two seasons with Montreal. He registered seven special-team tackles last year with Winnipeg.
The six-foot-four, 223-pound Fuller played previously in the CFL with the Calgary Stampeders and Saskatchewan Roughriders. In 26 career regular-season games, he has 93 catches for 1,285 yards and eight touchdowns.
Fuller also spent time with the NFL’s Miami Dolphins.
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HAMILTON – Peter Dyakowski wasn’t unemployed long.
The veteran offensive lineman signed a two-year deal with the Toronto Argonauts on Thursday, hours after being released by the Hamilton Tiger-Cats.
The six-foot-five, 315-pound Vancouver native spent nine seasons with Hamilton, playing in 148 regular-season games. The Ticats selected the 32-year-old in the second round, 11th overall, in the 2006 CFL draft but he opted to remain at LSU for another year.
“We want to thank Peter for all of his contributions to the organization and our community,” Kent Austin, Hamilton head coach/vice-president of football operations, said in a statement. “He has been an integral part of our team for over a decade and we wish him well in his future endeavours.”
Dyakowski was a fan favourite in Hamilton for his intellect and outgoing personality. In 2012, he won the Canada’s Smartest Person reality show and in 2014 finished third on an episode of Jeopardy!
“I have had a fantastic 10 seasons in Hamilton,” Dyakowski said in a statement. `”I would like to thank all of the wonderful fans who have supported me over the years, the hundreds of teammates i have played alongside, and all of the Ticats staff I have had the pleasure of working with from 2007 until today.
“I appreciate everything that this great city has done for me and my family.”
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CALGARY – The Calgary Stampeders signed free-agent Canadian receiver Rory Kohlert on Thursday.
Kohlert, 29, of Regina, spent the last five years with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers. He started 71-of-85 regular-season games, registering 160 catches for 1,630 yards and nine touchdowns.
“Rory is an all-around receiver with good pass-catching ability and he’s a reliable blocker in the run game,” Calgary head coach Dave Dickenson said in a statement.
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WINNIPEG – The Winnipeg Blue Bombers re-signed Canadian linebacker Sam Hurl and agreed to terms with free-agent quarterback Dan LeFevour on Thursday.
Hurl, a six-foot-one, 225-pound Calgary native, returns for a third season in Winnipeg. He has appeared in 30 regular-season games, registering 59 tackles, 14 special-team tackles, five sacks, two interceptions and one forced fumble.
The six-foot-three, 230-pound LeFevour is a five-year CFL veteran. He spent last season with Toronto and has also played for the Hamilton Tiger-Cats and Montreal Alouettes.
The Bombers also signed defensive back Sam Brown and linebacker Will Smith, both Americans.
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REGINA – The Saskatchewan Roughriders signed American running back Cameron Marshall on Thursday.
The five-foot-11, 215-pound Marshall spent time last year in the NFL with the Seattle Seahawks and Jacksonville Jaguars.
Prior to that, Marshall played two seasons with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers. After joining the CFL team in October 2014, Marshall started 11-of-18 games in 2015, rushing for 614 yards and four TD.
Marshall added 32 catches for 378 yards and two touchdowns.
Marshall spent the 2013 season with the Miami Dolphins practice squad.
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EDMONTON – The Edmonton Eskimos have signed international free agent running back Travon Van (pronounced trey-vonn) and free agent defensive end Aston Whiteside.
Travon Van
Running Back (international)
College: Montana
Born: May 6, 1991 – San Diego, CA
Height: 5.11
Weight: 205
Van was originally signed by Ottawa RedBlacks in 2015. In two seasons in Ottawa, Van recorded 81 carries for 422 yards and two touchdowns and also recorded 20 receptions for 147 yards.
Aston Whiteside
Defensive End (international)
College: Abilene Christian
Born: May 19, 1989 – Vernon, TX
Height: 6.02
Weight: 234
Originally signed in Toronto in 2014, Whiteside played in 15 games and recorded 14 defensive tackles, two sacks and three forced fumbles. In two seasons in Ottawa (2015-16), Whiteside finished with 26 defensive tackles, 10 sacks and four forced fumbles.
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MONTREAL – The Montreal Alouettes announced on Thursday that the club has reached agreements with Michael Klassen and Donald Oramasionwu. Both national defensive tackles signed one-year deal.
Klassen (6’5”, 275 lbs.) will be entering his fifth season in the Canadian Football League, all of which has been played in the Alouettes uniform. He was a fourth round (32nd total) selection by the Alouettes during the 2013 CFL Canadian Draft. The Calgary, AB native missed a good part of the season after being placed on the six-game injury list in August. He played seven games in 2016. Michael Klassen collected a total of 52 defensive tackles, including eight quarterback sacks in 54 regular season games in career. The 25-year-old athlete also forced two fumbles. He is a product of the University of Calgary Dinos football program.
The Alouettes also announced the signing of Donald Oramasionwu to a one-year contract.
Oramasionwu (6’02”, 290 lbs.) joins the Alouettes after spending five years with the Edmonton Eskimos. He was drafted by the Winnipeg Blue Bombers in the fifth round (39th total) in the 2008 CFL Canadian Draft. Before coming to Montreal, Oramasionwu had 107 regular season appearances, collecting 104 defensive tackles as well as 18 quarterback sacks in eight seasons with Winnipeg and Edmonton respectively. He also forced four fumbles. The 30-year-old athlete played in the 103rd Grey Cup game against the Ottawa REDBLACKS in front of friends and family in Winnipeg, helping the Edmonton Eskimos engraved their names on the Grey Cup. He registered one defensive tackle in that game. The Winnipeg, MB native, played his collegiate career home, suiting up for the University of Manitoba Bisons football program, where he won a national championship in 2007. He recorded 36 defensive tackles as well as a sack and a fumble recovery during his senior year with the Bisons. He was named Canada-West All-Star on top of being recognized with the CIS All-Canadian honour.
“The renewal of Michael’s contract and the addition of Don to our roster are important moves, allowing us to add proven local talents to this already deep defensive line core”, commented Alouettes General Manager Kavis Reed. “It gives us flexibility with the ratio. Both of them are fierce competitors in the trenches and play with great intensity everytime they are called on the field”, added Reed.
(With files from Canadian Press)
