The Ottawa Redblacks made a flurry of roster moves Wednesday, re-signing four players and adding three more in anticipation of the 2021 CFL season.
Back with the club are Canadian defensive end Kene Onyeka, receiver Wesley Lewis and defensive back Nate Hamlin, along with American offensive tackle Na’Ty Rodgers. Also added were American linebacker Nicholas Grigsby, defensive back Dominique Hatfield and Canadian defensive lineman Graydon Campbell.
A former All-Canadian defensive end with the local Carleton Ravens, Kene Onyeka is the biggest name of the group, having been selected 29th overall by the team in the 2018 CFL Draft. The one time J.P. Metras Trophy nominee returned to school that season and formally joined the Redblacks in 2019, making three special teams tackles in six games as a rookie.
Defensive back Nate Hamlin was also a standout with the Ravens before being selected in the fourth round of the 2017 draft by the B.C. Lions, recording six tackles in 20 career games before returning to Ottawa.
The club’s 2019 sixth-round pick Wesley Lewis completes the trio of Canadians, while American Na’Ty Rodgers will provide depth at tackle, having previously started eight games for the Montreal Alouettes in 2018 before spending part of 2019 on the Winnipeg Blue Bombers practice squad.
New to the team for the 2021 season are former NFL players Nicholas Grigsby and Dominique Hatfield. A productive linebacker at Pittsburgh, Grigsby joins the club after suiting up for 23 career games over four seasons with five different NFL organizations.
Hatfield joins the team with 21 NFL games under his belt as a member of the Los Angeles Rams, who signed him as an undrafted free agent out of Utah. He was most recently a member of the Carolina Panthers practice squad.
Undrafted Canadian and local kid Graydon Campbell rounded out the transactions. From Greely, Campbell played 39 games over four season at William & Mary and saw playing time on both sides of the ball. He finished his NCAA career with 35 tackles and a fumble recovery but went unselected in the 2020 CFL Draft.
