Former CFL all-star left tackle Derek Dennis has signed with the Calgary Stampeders, according to the Piffles Podcast.
The 33-year old signed with Edmonton as a free agent in January 2021, but ultimately decided to step away from football in order to focus on his family. Dennis later revealed that he was unhappy with the terms of his deal with the Elks requested a release from the team one week after signing the contract.
Dennis was finally released as part of an initial wave of cuts that came in December following the hiring of Chris Jones as head coach and general manager.
The six-foot-three, 340-pound offensive lineman was a three-time West Division all-star with the Calgary Stampeders and captured a Grey Cup in 2018. His best season came in 2016 when he was named the league’s Most Outstanding Offensive Lineman.
This is his third stint in Calgary (2015-16, 2018-19) after spending the 2017 season in Saskatchewan and the 2020-21 seasons in the XFL and Edmonton, though he never reported the the Elks.
The Temple University product went unselected in the 2012 NFL draft, but inked an undrafted free agent contract with the Miami Dolphins. Dennis was released by the Fish in July that year by head coach Joe Philbin and it was shown on HBO’s Hard Knocks.
The New England Patriots signed Dennis one week later, but he was released by the Pats at the end of training camp. Dennis spent time on the Chicago Bears and Carolina Panthers practice squads prior to putting pen to paper with the Stamps in September 2015.
