The Arizona Cardinals held a workout chock-full of CFL players on Tuesday, including Hamilton Tiger-Cats’ receiver Tyreik McAllister, Saskatchewan Roughriders’ receiver Samuel Emilus, Saskatchewan Roughriders’ linebacker T.J. Brunson, and Calgary Stampeders’ punter Cody Grace.
McAllister was a versatile weapon for the Ticats during his first CFL season in 2023, recording 13 carries for 52 yards, 27 receptions for 364 yards and two touchdowns, 41 kickoff returns for an average of 25.3 yards, 56 punt returns for an average of 10.8 yards, and seven missed field goal returns for 408 yards and one touchdown. He led the league in kickoff return average and all-purpose yards.
The 25-year-old speedster was a member of the Denver Broncos after going unselected in the 2022 NFL Draft out of the University of Charleston. He primarily played running back prior to coming to the CFL.
Emilus had a breakout year in his second CFL season, making 70 catches for 1,097 yards and six touchdowns for the Riders. The 26-year-old native of Montreal finished eighth league-wide in receiving yardage and first among Canadian players. He was a first-round pick in the 2022 CFL Draft out of Louisiana Tech University.
Brunson dressed for six games with the Riders in 2023 and made nine defensive tackles, seven special teams tackles, and one forced fumble. The ultra-physical defender was a seventh-round pick of the New York Giants in the 2020 NFL Draft out of the University of South Carolina. He spent two years with the club, the second of which was cut short by a torn ACL he sustained during the preseason.
Grace finished third in net punting with Calgary this past season, averaging 36.6 yards over a career-high 122 attempts in 2023. He also ranked third in gross punting with an average of 47.2 yards per attempt. The native of Australia was named a CFL all-star in 2022 and a West Division all-star in 2021 and 2022.
It remains unclear if any of these players will be offered contracts by the Cardinals. All CFL players are able to pursue the NFL during the off-season regardless of contract status until free agency gets underway on Tuesday, Feb. 13, 2024 at noon EST.
