B.C. Lions release one, sign two

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The B.C. Lions have released return specialist Lawrence Woods III, the team announced on Tuesday.

The 31-year-old signed with the Leos in August and played three regular-season games, returning eight kickoffs for 169 yards and seven punts for 43 yards.

The five-foot-nine, 180-pound speedster previously played 31 regular-season games over two stints with the Hamilton Tiger-Cats, recording 86 kickoff returns for 1,874 yards, 108 punt returns for 1,345 yards, and two touchdowns. He also made 28 defensive tackles and 14 special teams tackles.

The Lions have also signed American receiver Ben Patterson and American linebacker Wesley Steiner to the practice roster.

Patterson attended training camp with the Jacksonville Jaguars and Cleveland Browns earlier this year, though he didn’t see any regular-season NFL action.

The six-foot-five, 220-pound target played four collegiate seasons at the University of Texas Permian Basin, an NCAA Division II program. He made 98 receptions for 1,174 yards and 16 touchdowns over 43 games, earning two second-team All-Lone Star Conference selections.

Steiner attended training camp with the Seattle Seahawks as a fullback in 2025, though he didn’t make the club’s final roster.

The six-foot, 235-pound defender finished his collegiate career at Washington State in 2024, where he made 11 total tackles, one sack, and one fumble recovery over 13 games.

He previously attended Auburn, where he tallied 87 total tackles, one forced fumble, and one fumble recovery over 47 games.

The B.C. Lions (9-6) will host the Ottawa Redblacks (0-15) on Friday, October 9 with kickoff scheduled for 10:00 p.m. EDT. The Redblacks are coming off a loss to the Hamilton Tiger-Cats, while the Lions have won seven of their last eight matchups.

The game will be broadcast on TSN in Canada and CFL+ internationally. Radio listeners can tune-in on TSN 1200 in Ottawa and 730 CKNW (English) or Sher-E-Punjab Radio AM 600 (Punjabi) in Vancouver.