The Calgary Stampeders have signed four American players to their expanded practice roster, including linebacker Marquel Lee.
Lee was a fifth-round pick of the Oakland Raiders in the 2017 NFL Draft, earning the team’s starting middle linebacker job out of training camp. He went on to play 45 games with the team, recording 115 tackles and six tackles for loss. Six-foot-three, 234-pound linebacker struggled with injuries in 2019 and was placed on the physically unable to perform list before being waived the next year, missing the entire 2020 season.
After failing to catch on with the Buffalo Bills, Lee re-joined the Raiders in Las Vegas for one more year before wrapping up his NFL career back in Buffalo in 2022. The 28-year-old launched a comeback with the UFL’s Arlington Renegades in 2024, recording 51 total tackles.
In college, Lee played 48 games over four seasons at Wake Forest. He earned first-team all-Atlantic Coast Conference honours for the Demon Deacons in 2016 after leading the team with 105 tackles including 20 tackles for loss and adding 7.5 sacks. He accumulated 291 tackles and 14.5 sacks in his collegiate career.
Also signed were defensive linemen Jett Bush and Brandon Matterson, and receiver Jesiah Irish.
Bush played 58 games over five seasons at the University of Texas, notching 63 tackles, 7.5 tackles for loss, three sacks, one interception, two fumble recoveries and one forced fumble. The six-foot-two, 243-pound edge rusher recently attended rookie mini-camp with the New England Patriots.
Irish played 56 games over five seasons at Oregon State, seeing action both as a receiver and a kick returner. He had 27 catches for 456 yards and two touchdowns, while adding 18 carries for 114 yards and one score. The five-foot-11, 176-pound speedster also fielded 22 kickoff returns for 478 yards and 16 punt returns for 135 yards as a Beaver, later attending rookie camp with the NFL’s Seattle Seahawks.
Matterson suited up in 59 games over six seasons at the University of Texas at San Antonio, notching 101 career tackles, 17 tackles for loss, 7.5 sacks, two fumble recoveries and three forced fumbles. A third-team all-American Athletic Conference selection in 2023, he signed with the Denver Broncos as an undrafted free agent and also spent time with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in training camp.
In another transaction, the Stamps released American running back B.J. Emmons.
Emmons suited up in four games this year but had not seen action since Week 5. A preseason standout, he received just 16 carries for 44 yards in the regular season, adding five catches for 56 yards and two kickoff returns for 57 yards.
The Stampeders (4-9-1) return to action on Friday, October 4 when they visit the B.C. Lions (7-8) at 10:00 p.m. EDT.
