Next week, on February 2nd, the CFL Negotiation Period opens as teams begin looking to make deals with free agents to address the needs of their teams in preparation for the start of CFL Free Agency on February 9th. For the Hamilton Tiger-Cats, the free agency period is a significant opportunity to address their team’s greatest needs, including shoring up their offensive line and upgrading their defensive front seven. Recently, the Tiger-Cats have been very active in free agency, but many of their additions to their roster have not made the impact that Hamilton expected.
When evaluating free agents, it is essential to realize that every CFL team is fighting to control the line of scrimmage on both sides. The personnel decisions made by the Tiger-Cats often do not reflect the importance of their offensive line and defensive front. Instead, they attempt to make splash moves, including overpaying offensive skills players that tend to fall short of expectations and the investment that Hamilton has made into those players. This year, Hamilton needs to resist the urge to make splash moves in free agency and instead work to make sure that they can make sure they have an effective offensive line and upgrade their defensive line and linebackers.
Keeping the line of scrimmage in mind, let’s take a closer look at three free agents who could be critical for the Hamilton Tiger-Cats in 2025.
Offensive Lineman David Beard
Over the last several seasons, the Tiger-Cats have struggled with injuries and consistency on their offensive line. In 2022, Hamilton acquired David Beard in a trade with the Edmonton Elks, and since coming to the Tiger-Cats, Beard become the anchor of their offensive line. In 2024, the Tiger-Cats had a massive renaissance on the offensive side of the ball, with head coach Scott Milanovich and quarterback Bo Levi Mitchell having a historic season.
As the Tiger-Cats find a groove on the offensive side of the ball, it would be a significant mistake to let Beard leave Hamilton. In the CFL, high-quality offensive linemen who stay healthy are a rare commodity. Hence, keeping Beard needs to be a top priority for the Tiger-Cats during the free agency period.
Defensive Lineman Jake Ceresna
The biggest weakness for the Hamilton Tiger-Cats during the 2024 season was a lack of production for their defensive line. Hamilton did make some progress, with Casey Sayles emerging as their top defensive lineman and Brandon Barlow finding a role on the Tiger-Cats defensive line. A strong defensive line can be a make-or-break position for CFL teams, and despite some minor successes, the Tiger-Cats defensive line has not played up to expectations recently.
Jake Ceresna would be a significant upgrade in quality for the Tiger-Cats defensive line. He may be looking for a new home after leading the CFL in quarterback sacks with the Toronto Argonauts in 2024 with eight sacks. Ceresna is a veteran CFL defensive lineman with consistent success with the Argonauts, the Edmonton Elks, and the Ottawa Redblacks. The two-time All-CFL defensive lineman Ceresna would become a foundational player to improve the Hamilton defensive line.
Linebacker Nyles Morgan
In addition to upgrading the defensive line position, the Tiger-Cats also need to add another playmaker at inside linebacker. Kyle Wilson had a big year for the Tiger-Cats but needs help stopping Hamilton’s opponents’ run game. Nyles Morgan would be a great fit to team with Kyle Wilson and become a nuisance to the running game of the teams in the CFL.
Nyles Morgan played in 52 games with the Edmonton Elks from 2021 until 2024, during which time he recorded 325 defensive tackles, including 107 in 2023 and 111 in 2024. Morgan also had seven quarterback sacks during his career with the Elks.
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