During the off-season, the Tiger-Cats invested a substantial amount of resources in rebuilding their offensive and defensive lines. In 2024, Hamilton struggled to win on the line of scrimmage, both defensively and offensively, resulting in a lack of explosive offensive plays and an inability to control the game’s pace. That combination led to a large number of high-scoring games, but the Tiger-Cats came up short, finishing with a 7-11 record.
Last week, the Tiger-Cats played their first pre-season game of 2025, and they successfully established their own running game while containing the Toronto Argonauts’ running game. If Hamilton can sustain the effort they displayed last week, they could find themselves competing for an East division championship in 2025. To continue building momentum towards that goal, the CFL Transactions list shows that the Tiger-Cats have added depth to their offensive line by re-signing National offensive lineman John Kourtis.
Kourtis started the 2025 training camp with Hamilton; Hamilton released Kourtis on May 16th. The 7th-round CFL draft pick returns to the Tiger-Cats with an opportunity to be a potential contributor to Hamilton’s offensive line. As a National offensive lineman, Kourtis is not only valuable as an effective lineman, but he also provides value in the Tiger-Cats’ management of the ratio rule.
The 6’4″, 307-pound Kourtis is a native of Toronto, Ontario, and now returns closer to home. Kourtis initially played college football at Liberty University in the NCAA from 2018 to 2022. While playing for the Flames, Kourtis played in 34 games. In 2023, Kourtis returned to Canada to play U Sports football at the University of Saskatchewan, where he appeared in 20 games during the 2023 and 2024 seasons.
Tiger-Cats Release Running Back Khalan Griffin
Along with re-signing Kourtis, the Tiger-Cats have also released running back Khalan Griffin. The Tiger-Cats signed Griffin last week, but he did not play in Hamilton during the first pre-season game against Toronto. When Hamilton signed Griffin, it was unclear whether they intended for him to compete for a roster spot or if his addition was to serve as a camp body.
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