Expansion by contraction: making the best new CFL team from 2026 final training camp cuts

Photo: Montreal Alouettes

Recent positive news stories around CFL expansion continue to whet the palate for a tenth franchise, but fans are tired of waiting. So, 3DownNation has taken matters into our own hands.

With CFL teams forced to make their final training camp cuts on Saturday night, 100s of hungry pro football players suddenly became available, several of whom have compelling resumes. For the second year in a row, we’ve whittled that crop of talent down to a cohesive roster. Call them the Atlantic Schooners, the Quebec City Cast-Offs, or the Saskatoon Not-Good-Enoughs  — whatever you like! They are here and ready to play.

The rules of this project were simple: make a 45-man roster using only players who were handed their walking papers at the deadline. Pre-existing free agents like McLeod Bethel-Thompson and mid-camp cuts like Mario Alford were ineligible, as were any players placed on the practice roster, retired list, or suspended list. All eligible players were assumed to be fully healthy, but the team had to be ratio-compliant. That meant seven true Canadian starters, at least 20 total Nationals on the roster, and one Global player had to be included.

Generally, established players or draft picks were given the edge over unproven rookies — sorry, Jerjuan Newton, your preseason hat trick won’t get you on this team either. The resulting list is an easy way to get up to speed on the notable releases you may have missed.

‘A’ denotes American players, ‘N’ denotes Canadian players, and ‘G’ denotes Global players. All starters are marked with an asterisk.

Quarterback: Jarret Doege, B.C. Lions (A)* | James Morgan, Montreal Alouettes (A) | Arnaud Desjardins, Montreal Alouettes (N)

Considering the prospect pool, you have to feel pretty good about acquiring a quarterback with four CFL starts under his belt between two different franchises. If Doege’s inverse TD:INT ratio scares you, Morgan at least has a couple of starts of his own with the Alouettes, albeit not much more successfully. Desjardins brings a winning pedigree from his time at Laval and can be groomed for the future of the franchise.

Running back: Mario Anderson Jr., Saskatchewan Roughriders (A)* | Peyton Logan, Toronto Argonauts (A)

Consider this the destitute man’s version of the Edmonton Elks’ current backfield. Anderson brings the thunder, with the ability to bang and crash as our bellcow ballcarrier. Logan provides an electric change of pace and will also serve as this team’s primary returner. The two combined should, at least in theory, be better than the sum of their parts.

Receiver: Hergy Mayala, B.C. Lions (N)* | Siaosi Mariner, Saskatchewan Roughriders (A)* | Andre Miller, Toronto Argonauts (A)* | Binjimen Victor, Edmonton Elks (A)* | Jalon Calhoun, Edmonton Elks (A)* | Kolby Hurford, Winnipeg Blue Bombers (N) | Joshua Jack, Winnipeg Blue Bombers (N)

As a former first-round pick who has produced for multiple teams, Mayala is arguably our best Canadian starter and will be leaned on for leadership at 30 years old. The rest of the starting receiving group doesn’t inspire a ton of confidence, though Victor, Miller, and Mariner have all been bit starters for CFL teams in recent years. Calhoun is the less proven wild-card, but edges out a couple of other options due to his stellar performance for the Elks in last year’s regular-season finale. Hurford and Jack are unproven recent draft picks but provide important Canadian depth.

Offensive line: Eric Lofton, Hamilton Tiger-Cats (A)* | Mark Evans II, Edmonton Elks (A)* | Anthony Vandal, Toronto Argonauts (N)* | John Bosse, Toronto Argonauts (N)* | Kendall Randolph, Winnipeg Blue Bombers (A)* | Jaxon Morkin, Edmonton Elks (N) | Frank Vreugdenhill, Toronto Argonauts (N)

This team has a lot of flaws, but the offensive tackle position should be a relative strength given that Lofton and Randolph have a combined 59 career starts. Anthony Vandal also boasts multiple years of starting experience at guard with the Argos, but we’ll be asking the former Mr. Irrelevant to play centre for this team. His ex-teammate, Bosse, will take one guard spot, while we go American at the other with Evans. Morkin and Vreugdenhill will both have to play in certain sets, as there were no fullbacks or tight ends eligible for selection.

Defensive line: Kene Onyeka, Hamilton Tiger-Cats (N)* | Dylan Wynn, Ottawa Redblacks (A)* | Ty Anderson, Hamilton Tiger-Cats (N)* | Chico Bennett Jr., Saskatchewan Roughriders (A)* | Greg Reaves, Toronto Argonauts (A) | Steven Kpehe, Calgary Stampeders (N) | Ebenezer Dibula, B.C. Lions (N) | Kyler Laing, Hamilton Tiger-Cats (N)

We’ll find two of our Canadian starters in this group out of necessity, both of whom were whacked by the Tabbies. The veteran Onyeka will finally get a chance to show what he can do as a full-time edge rusher, while Anderson steps into the starting defensive tackle role in his second season, with only the raw rookie Dibula to spell him off. If you’re looking to buy a jersey, three-time all-star Dylan Wynn is the unquestioned face of this franchise. Bennett and Reaves form an inexperienced tandem at the second defensive end spot, while Kpehe and Laing provide depth and special teams value.

Linebacker: Aaron Casey, Toronto Argonauts (A)* | Jeremy Lewis, B.C. Lions (A)* | Marc Rondeau, Hamilton Tiger-Cats (N) | Jaxxon Brashear, Edmonton Elks (N) | Yunus Larry, Edmonton Elks (N) | Olivier Ruest, Calgary Stampeders (N)

Casey has my vote as the weekend’s single most surprising cut, as he showed himself to be a versatile contributor for Toronto this year. He should lead this team in tackles and will give the linemen a run for their money in the sack race, too. Lewis hasn’t played much, but was a preseason darling in 2025 and should make an impact. Recent sixth-round pick Rondeau provides some positional versatility as a Canadian, while the undrafted trio of Brashear, Larry, and Ruest will cut their teeth on special teams.

Defensive back: Benny Sapp III, Saskatchewan Roughriders (A)* | Dionte Ruffin, B.C. Lions (A)* | Jaylin Williams, Edmonton Elks (A)* | Tyshon Blackburn, Toronto Argonauts (N)* | Deandre Lamont, Winnipeg Blue Bombers (A)* | Trae Tomlinson, Saskatchewan Roughriders (N)* | Cyrus McGarrell, Montreal Alouettes (N) | Patrick Cumberbatch, Ottawa Redblacks (N) | Tyler Coyle, B.C. Lions (A)

This might be the deepest position group on the team, not that that is a particularly high bar. Ruffin and Lamont bring a ton of experience at halfback, while Sapp has shown nice flashes at corner. I’ve opted for Blackburn as the rare starting Canadian SAM, but he has played that spot in the past, and Williams should fare nicely at safety. The boldest choice is ignoring size and letting Tomlinson, the undrafted five-foot-eight Canadian rookie, do what he was born to do as a starting cornerback. McGarrell and Cumberbatch can provide depth at a few positions each, while Coyle has a massive body that can dominate on special teams.

Specialists: Jonathan Kim, Saskatchewan Roughriders (A) | Jesse Mirco, Saskatchewan Roughriders (G) | Christopher Liberta, Toronto Argonauts (N)

If nationality weren’t a consideration, Kim would have been the kicker in Saskatchewan after a compelling preseason, so the Michigan State man cleanly wins our job. Mirco fulfills our Global requirement at punter, while also being the most experienced option available. Liberta was the top long snapper in this year’s draft and will happily rip it back for us.