Since the conclusion of the 2026 CFL Draft and the CFL Global Draft, the Hamilton Tiger-Cats front office has been focused on adding more personnel before the start of training camp next week, when the rookies report. In the CFL, it is not unusual for teams, including the Tiger-Cats, to bring in a large number of players to evaluate in hopes of finding diamonds in the rough. Once rookies report, the Hamilton coaching staff has three days to evaluate those prospects and make their first round of cuts.

However, a few Tiger-Cats players have gotten a jump on the process and have eliminated themselves from training camp. The list of players that Hamilton announced will be leaving their roster was LB Kyler Fisher, DL Luke Brubacher, and WR Trejan Bridges While it is not usual for players to make a late decision to not report to camp, this trio of players all had significant upside for Hamilton, making their decision to leave surprising.

The most surprising of these early exits from the Tiger-Cats roster is American wide receiver Trejan Bridges. Hamilton signed Bridges on January 19th, 2026, with the hopes that he would bring his elite speed to provide an additional vertical threat for Scott Milanovich’s passing game. However, since signing Bridges, the Tiger-Cats also added wide receiver Kurleigh Gittens Jr. and drafted wide receiver Malick Meiga. While there was no official explanation for why Bridges was released, it was likely his decision to look for other opportunities due to the Tiger-Cats’ talent-packed wide receiver room.

American linebacker Kyler Fisher’s decision to retire from the CFL is another surprising decision, considering the active role that Fisher played for the Tiger-Cats defensive front seven in 2025. During the 2025 season, Fisher appeared in 14 games for Hamilton and started 7 of those games. By the end of the season, Fisher had recorded 60 solo tackles and 1.0 quarterback sack.

In addition to Fisher retiring, Canadian defensive lineman Luke Brubacher also made the decision to retire from the CFL. The Hamilton Tiger-Cats drafted Brubacher in the 2nd round of the 2024 CFL Draft, and during the 2024 season, Brubacher played in 5 games. However, Brubacher did not see any action in 2025 and appears to have decided to retire after being unable to secure an active role on the Tiger-Cats’ defensive line.

For more football content, check out Football Scientific

Follow me on X: @AaronSauter7