The Hamilton Tiger-Cats continue to sign elite CFL veterans to their 2023 roster. Hamilton has announced they have signed defensive linemen Ja’Gared Davis and offensive lineman Joel Figueroa. Both linemen have prior experience playing for the Tiger-Cats organization. Hamilton has also added running back James Butler; Butler had a breakout season in 2022 while playing for the BC Lions.
Let’s take a closer look at each player and the skills they will add to the Tiger-Cats roster.
Defensive lineman Ja’Gered Davis returns to the Tiger-Cats after playing for Hamilton rival Toronto during the 2022 season. Davis has appeared in the Grey Cup championship game during his six-year CFL career. He helped Toronto win the Grey Cup in 2022 and contributed to the Calgary Stampeders Grey Cup victory in 2018. The 6’1″, 238-pound defensive lineman played in 14 games for the Argonauts in 2022, produced 36 tackles, one for loss, and batted four pass attempts. During his six-year career, Davis has played for Calgary (2016-2018), Hamilton (2019-2021), and Toronto (2022). He has played in 89 CFL games, accumulated 256 tackles, 49 sacks, three interceptions, forced ten fumbles, and scored two defensive touchdowns.
To bring more balance to their offence, Hamilton has signed American running back James Butler. In 2022, Butler had a breakout season while playing for the BC Lions. During the 2022 season, Butler played in 17 games and had 210 carries for 1,060 rushing yards and seven touchdowns. He also had 53 catches for 389 yards and scored four receiving touchdowns. The 5’9″, 210-pound Butler has played in 28 games during his two-year CFL career and has accumulated 311 carries for 1,557 rushing yards and nine touchdowns, along with 92 career receptions for 627 yards and five receiving touchdowns.
Also, on offence, the Tiger-Cats have signed American offensive lineman Joel Figueroa. Figueroa played for the Tiger-Cats from 2013 until 2015, in Edmonton from 2016 until 2017, and played four seasons for the BC Lions from 2018 until the end of the 2022 season. The 6’6″, 320-pound offensive lineman has played 108 games during his 9-year CFL career. Collegiately, Figueroa played at the University of Miami in 42 games in six years for the Hurricanes.
The Tiger-Cats have also signed 25-year-old National linebacker Fraser Sopik. The 6’0″, 209-pound linebacker drafted in the 4th round of the 2019 CFL Draft by the Calgary Stampeders has played three seasons for the Stampeders. During his career with the Stampeders, he has produced 31 defensive tackles, 30 special teams tackles, four sacks, and forced three fumbles. In 2022, Sopik had 14 defensive tackles and seven special teams tackles. Two quarterback sacks and one forced fumble for the Stampeders. He is a native of Toronto and played USports football at Western University.
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