A Canadian pass rusher with considerable CFL experience is making a comeback in Mexico.
Defensive lineman Nicholas Dheilly has signed with the Saltillo Dinos of the Liga de Futbol Americano Profesional de Mexico (LFA), the team announced this week on social media.
Dheilly retired from the CFL in August 2024, while a member of the Saskatchewan Roughriders. He appeared in five games that season prior to the decision and made a pair of special teams tackles while battling a shoulder injury.
The Regina native was originally selected with the 46th overall pick in the fifth round of the 2020 CFL Draft by the Winnipeg Blue Bombers, playing in four games for the team as a rookie before moving back home to Saskatchewan. Between the two organizations, he played in 19 career CFL games over four seasons, recording one defensive tackle and six on special teams.
Dheilly began his collegiate career playing for his hometown University of Regina Rams. As a freshman, he was named the 2016 Canada West Rookie of the Year, recording 30 tackles, four sacks and one interception. In his next season, he was named a Canada West all-star, notching 26 defensive tackles and 6.5 sacks.
In 2018, Dheilly left the Rams to play for the Canadian Junior Football League’s Okanagan Sun and was named an all-star after an eight-sack season. He returned to university football in 2019, suiting up for the University of Saskatchewan Huskies, where he made 24 defensive tackles, six sacks and one interception.
The LFA was founded in 2016 as the top level of professional football in Mexico. The CFL kick-started its Global program by striking a deal with the league in 2019, holding a draft in Mexico City while facilitating the dispersal of a handful of Canadian prospects to each of the foreign league’s teams. While Mexican players remain eligible for the CFL Global Draft, the player-sharing partnership quietly ended after one season due to mixed reviews from players and a number of concerning reports.
A handful of Canadians have continued to play in the league since 2019, and Dheilly may not be alone on the roster. Former Concordia receiver Jaylan Greaves, who won the Peter Gorman Trophy as the top rookie in U Sports during the 2021 season, has also signed with the Dinos according to his social media, though the team has not confirmed that on their own feed. The Montreal native was a member of the Canadian national tackle football team that lost to Team Mexico in December.
Other notable names signed by Saltillo include former Dallas Cowboys receiver Terrance Williams, who is entering his fourth season in the LFA after amassing over 3,000 yards in the NFL. Six-time NFL Pro Bowler Chad Johnson also briefly played in the league in 2017 with the Monterrey Fundidores. Both players also spent time in the CFL.
The LFA recently struck a seven-year partnership with U.S. private equity firm Global Sports Capital Partners, L.P., that will reportedly result in $100 million in investment over that span.
That announcement came on the heels of the purchase of the Monterrey Osos franchise by a group led by former NFL All-Pro Ryan Kalil and NBA all-star Blake Griffin. NFL stars Christian McCaffrey, George Kittle, and Sam Darnold; retired legends Greg Olsen, Luke Kuechly, Julius Peppers, and Jonathan Stewart; and former NFL head coach Ron Rivera also have stakes in that ownership group.
