All-star cornerback Jamal Peters is set to make his regular-season debut for the Hamilton Tiger-Cats on Sunday against the Saskatchewan Roughriders.
The 27-year-old was unable to suit up for the Ticats’ season opener in Calgary last week due to a hamstring injury but has been cleared despite being a limited participant in practice all week. He will start at boundary cornerback, as rookie Mark Milton gets demoted to the practice roster.
Peters joined the Ticats in free agency after playing 36 games over three seasons with the Toronto Argonauts, interrupted only by a brief stint with the Atlanta Falcons. He has amassed 120 defensive tackles, a sack, 11 interceptions, and two forced fumbles in his CFL career, earning all-star status in 2022.
In addition to Peters’ debut, Hamilton has shuffled much of its defensive depth, adding Canadian defensive back Patrick Burke Jr., newly acquired Canadian defensive tackle Benoit Marion, and American defensive end Kobe Jones to the gameday roster.
American defensive end Kelle Sanders and Canadian defensive tackle Reece Martin have been placed on the practice roster, while American linebacker D.Q. Thomas will be a healthy scratch. Rookie Canadian defensive end Luke Brubacher (hamstring) has also been moved to the six-game injured list.
Offensively, the Ticats will be struggling for Canadian bodies in the receiving corps as Brendan O’Leary-Orange (hamstring) and Luther Hakunavanhu (ankle) have both been placed on the six-game injured list. Fourth-year man Tyler Ternowski draws into the starting lineup as the ratio replacement but will be frequently subbed in favour of designated nationalized American Tim White.
American Dezmon Patmon will make his first career CFL appearance to round out the receiving corps, while Canadian Evan Johnson will dress as a seventh offensive lineman to satisfy the ratio. Running back Greg Bell remains a healthy scratch for the second consecutive week.
The Hamilton Tiger-Cats (0-1) will host the Saskatchewan Roughriders (1-0) at Tim Hortons Field on Sunday, June 16 with kickoff slated for 7:00 p.m. EDT.
