Winnipeg Blue Bombers bring back Ayo Oyelola, add one other

Photo: Winnipeg Blue Bombers

The Winnipeg Blue Bombers have signed Global linebacker Ayo Oyelola, the team announced on Monday.

The six-foot, 223-pound defender was a third-round pick in the 2021 CFL Global Draft out of the University of Nottingham. He spent the 2021 season in Winnipeg and dressed for one regular-season game.

The 27-year-old native of Dagenham, East London has stints had stints with the Jacksonville Jaguars and Pittsburgh Steelers as part of the league’s International Player Pathway (IPP) initiative. He had long practice roster stints with both teams but did not dress for any regular-season games.

Oyelola was most recently under contract with the Alpine Rams of American Football League Europe (AFLE).

The Blue Bombers have also signed American linebacker Dylan Hazen.

The six-foot, 224-pound defender spent his entire collegiate career at Wake Forest University, where he was a three-year starter. He made 284 total tackles, 27.5 tackles for loss, 2.5 sacks, five pass knockdowns, three fumble recoveries, three forced fumbles, and two interceptions over 54 games. Hazen was named All-ACC honourable mention in 2025.

The native of The Woodlands, Texas went unselected in the 2026 NFL Draft and attended rookie minicamp with the Chicago Bears.

The Winnipeg Blue Bombers (1-0) will host the Hamilton Tiger-Cats (0-1) at Princess Auto Stadium on Thursday, June 11 with kickoff scheduled for 8:30 p.m. EDT. The Tiger-Cats are coming off an overtime loss to the Montreal Alouettes, while the Blue Bombers got a walk-off game-winning field goal from Sergio Castillo to beat the Calgary Stampeders.

The weather forecast in Winnipeg calls for a high of 21 degrees and 30 percent chance of rain. The game will be broadcast on TSN and RDS2 in Canada, CBS Sports Network in the United States, and CFL+ internationally. Radio listeners can tune-in on the Ticats Audio Network in Hamilton and 680 CJOB in Winnipeg.