Braxton Hill to start for Hamilton Tiger-Cats against Winnipeg

Photo courtesy: Bob Butrym/RFB Sport Photography

The Hamilton Tiger-Cats will have Braxton Hill in the starting lineup when they visit the Winnipeg Blue Bombers on Thursday night. The team issued its official depth chart on Wednesday morning.

The 26-year-old missed last week’s loss to the Montreal Alouettes with a calf injury but will start at weak-side linebacker this week. The native of Anaconda, Mon. was a limited participant in practice on Sunday and Monday, then a full participant on Tuesday.

Hill played eight regular-season games with the Tiger-Cats in 2025, recording 16 defensive tackles, 14 special teams tackles, and two interceptions. The University of Montana standout previously spent time with the Saskatchewan Roughriders.

Wynton McManis, Hamilton’s star linebacker and big-name free-agent addition, will remain out with a bone bruise to his knee. Ryan Baker, a former fifth-round draft pick of the University of British Columbia who made one tackle last week, has been listed as the starter at middle linebacker.

Hamilton will also dress Devodric Bynum for the first time since signing him at the end of May.

The 26-year-old defensive back played 19 regular-season games over two seasons with the Edmonton Elks, making 40 total tackles, five interceptions, and one forced fumble. He attended training camp with the Calgary Stampeders but was cut before signing with the Tiger-Cats.

To make room for Hill and Bynum on the active roster, American linebacker Craig Young and American defensive back Kaleb Hayes have been moved to the practice roster.

The Tiger-Cats have also shuffled their offensive line for Thursday’s game, moving Chris Kolankowski to a depth role at centre. The 34-year-old, who spent the last five seasons in Winnipeg before being released in January, was limited in practice all week due to a groin injury.

Liam Dobson, who is also a former member of the Blue Bombers, has been moved from guard to centre. Nathaniel Dumoulin-Duguay, a former first-round pick out of Université Laval, will start in Dobson’s usual spot at right guard.

The rest of Hamilton’s lineup remains unchanged from last week’s overtime loss to the Alouettes. Bo Levi Mitchell completed 34-of-39 pass attempts for 307 yards and one touchdown in the defeat, while Mario Kendricks recorded the defence’s lone sack.

The Hamilton Tiger-Cats (0-1) will visit the Winnipeg Blue Bombers (1-0) 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 a 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 to the Ticats Audio Network in Hamilton and 680 CJOB in Winnipeg.