The B.C. Lions have signed American offensive lineman Derwin Gray and American running back Nathaniel Peat.
Gray was selected in the seventh round of the 2019 NFL Draft by the Pittsburgh Steelers. He spent his rookie season on the practice roster before returning to the team in 2020 when he dressed for five regular-season games in a depth role, playing 36 snaps.
The six-foot-four, 320-pound native of Washington, D.C. signed with the Jacksonville Jaguars in 2021 and attended training camp with the team, though he didn’t make the final roster. He signed with the Tennessee Titans immediately following his release and spent most of the year on their practice roster. He was released by the Titans prior to training camp getting underway in 2022.
The 29-year-old spent the past two seasons with the Birmingham Stallions of the UFL, winning back-to-back championships. He has twice named an All-Big 10 honourable mention while playing collegiately at the University of Maryland.
Peat was most recently a member of the Dallas Cowboys as he signed with the team as an undrafted free agent in 2024. He rushed five times for 19 yards during the preseason before being waived.
The five-foot-ten, 205-pound native of Columbia, Mo. finished his collegiate career at the University of Missouri where he rushed for 755 yards, caught 16 passes for 147, and scored seven total touchdowns. He also returned 11 kicks for 187 yards.
Peat started his collegiate career at Stanford University where he was a two-time winner of the Phil Moffat Award, which is given annually to the school’s top special teams player. He returned 46 kickoffs for 546 yards, rushed for 608 yards, caught 16 passes for 106 yards, and scored four total touchdowns over 30 games with the Cardinal.
The B.C. Lions finished third in the West Division in 2024 with a record of 9-9 before losing to the Saskatchewan Roughriders in the West Semi-Final. The team will open its 2025 regular season by hosting the Edmonton Elks at BC Place Stadium in Vancouver on Saturday, June 7 with kickoff slated for 8:00 p.m. EDT.
