The Hamilton Tiger-Cats made a series of roster moves ahead of the opening of the team’s training camp on Sunday.
The team placed a pair of veterans on the suspended list, including all-star defensive lineman Ja’Gared Davis and American kicker Seth Small.
Davis signed back with the Tabbies in free agency in February after spending last season with the Toronto Argonauts. The veteran pass rusher spent the previous two seasons with the Ticats after beginning his CFL career with the Calgary Stampeders.
The 32-year-old has played 89 games over six seasons in the CFL and has recorded 256 total tackles, 49 sacks, three interceptions, 10 forced fumbles, and two defensive touchdowns over those contests.
The Southern Methodist University product is a three-time East Division all-star and has played in the Grey Cup in each of his six seasons in the CFL, winning the game with Calgary in 2018 and Toronto in 2022
Small took over as the Ticats kicker midway through the 2022 season, playing in 13 games and converting 90.7 percent of his field goals en route to an East Division all-star nomination.
The team also signed American linebacker Carlton Martial and Canadian offensive lineman Mojtaba Mehry.
The 24-year-old Martial spent five seasons at Troy University, playing in 59 games and registering 577 total tackles, 50.5 tackles for loss, 10.5 sacks, six interceptions, eight forced fumbles, two fumble recoveries and 15 passes breakups.
The five-foot-nine, 210-pound native of Mobile, Alabama holds the Sun Belt Conference record for career tackles and earned first-team All-Sun Belt on four occasions (2019-22).
Mehry played in 31 games over four seasons at the University of Toronto, twice being named the school’s lineman of the year. The 25-year-old native of Leamington, Ontario was in training camp with the Toronto Argonauts in 2021 and 2022.
The Ticats also released three players, including American kicker Peyton Henry and American defensive backs DeMarkus Acy and Brandon Easterling and placed Canadian receiver Llevi Noel and Canadian offensive lineman Nicolas Guay on the retired list.
Noel signed with the Tiger-Cats in free agency in February while Guay was the team’s seventh-round pick in the 2022 CFL Draft.
