The BC Lions announced on Wednesday the signing of 2 American players. They have signed defensive back Parnell Motley and offensive lineman James Moore.
OL James Moore – Central Washington (28 y/o, 6’5, 300 lbs)
James Moore played left tackle for Central Washington from 2014 to 2018 where he played in 42 games. He was selected by the Great Northwest Athletic Conference’s coaches unanimously as the Offensive Lineman of the Year in his senior season in 2018. He was First Team All-Conference in 2017 and 2018 and Second Team All-Conference in 2016.
Moore spent the first 12 weeks of the 2022 regular season on the BC Lions practice roster before he was released. He played for the Houston Roughnecks in the XFL in 2023 and appeared in 9 games with 6 starts. Of the 77 XFL offensive linemen graded by Pro Football Focus in 2023, Moore was graded 33rd in pass blocking and 60th in run blocking.
DB Parnell Motley – Oklahoma (26 y/o, 6’0, 184 lbs)
Parnell Motley played for Oklahoma from 2016 to 2017 appearing in 52 games with 33 starts. He contributed 130 solo tackles, 46 assisted tackles, 39 passes defended, 7.5 tackles for a loss, 6 interceptions, 6 forced fumbles, and 1 touchdown with the Sooners.
Motley was an honorable mention All-Big 12 in 2018 and was First Team All-Big 12 in 2019.
Motley signed with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2020 as an undrafted free agent. He played in 2 games before being waived in October 2020 and was claimed by the San Francisco 49ers. He was later waived and resigned to the 49ers practice roster in late October. In mid-December, he signed with the Denver Broncos off of the 49ers practice squad.
Motley was waived by the Broncos during final roster cuts in 2021. He signed to the Detroit Lions practice squad shortly after where he spent the 2021 season. In 2022 he signed with the Cleveland Browns in the offseason and was waived on August 22. Motley appeared in 5 total NFL games generating 5 solo tackles and 3 assisted tackles.
Following his release from the Browns Motley headed to the CFL signing with the Calgary Stampeders in late September where he spent time on the practice roster and was released at the end of the 2022 season. He played in 1 game for the Stampeders making 2 tackles.
Motley was drafted by the DC Defenders where he was the 4th defensive back selected in the 2023 XFL Draft. He signed with the New Orleans Breakers of the USFL on April 19 2023 and was released the following day.
Motley signed with the Toronto Argonauts in April and was released ahead of the preseason. He was signed by the Montreal Alouettes in September and spent 6 days on the practice roster before being released. He spent 2 weeks on the BC Lions practice roster beginning in late September.
Motley signed with the DC Defenders this past December but was not among the players protected in the recent UFL Dispersal Draft in January and thus became a free agent.
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