For the Hamilton Tiger-Cats to make significant improvements from the 2024 CFL to the 2025 CFL season, the Tiger-Cats must address the quality of their defensive line. This week marks the CFL Negotiation period that allows CFL teams to begin talking to pending free agents so that they can sign them to their roster during the free agency next week. So far this week, all has been quiet on the Tiger-Cats negotiation front, but Hamilton has decided to sign a defensive lineman.

According to the CFL Transactions list, the Hamilton Tiger-Cats’ newest addition to their 2025 roster is American defensive lineman Mario Kendricks. Signing with the Tiger-Cats marks a return to Hamilton for Kendricks after he had a short run with Hamilton in 2024, playing in one game and recording two tackles and one quarterback sack. The Seattle Seahawks ended up signing Kendricks, and as a result, he spent some time with Seattle during the 2024 NFL season.

The 6’0″, 294-pound Kendricks is a native of Kissimmee, Florida, and he played college football at Virginia Tech. From 2019 until 2023, he played in 55 games for the Hokies. During his time at Virginia Tech, he recorded 35 solo tackles, 32 assisted tackles, and seven quarterback sacks.

Coming out of Virginia Tech, scouts viewed Kendricks as being well-suited for playing a strong-side defensive end position. Kendricks’s chances of finding a home for the 2025 season on the Tiger-Cats roster will depend on how the Tiger-Cats choose to invest their resources during the free agency period. For now, Kendricks is getting another opportunity to make an impact with the Tiger-Cats and prove that he has what it takes to provide value to the Tiger-Cats defensive line unit.

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