Ottawa Redblacks bring back Canadian defender

Photo: Reuben Polansky/3DownNation. All rights reserved.

The Ottawa Redblacks have brought back Canadian defensive lineman Philippe Lemieux-Cardinal, the team announced on Wednesday.

The six-foot-three, 245-pound defender originally joined the team in August but was released in September. He dressed for one regular-season game, though he didn’t register any statistics.

The Montreal native dressed for 10 regular-season games with the Montreal Alouettes in 2025, recording two special teams tackles. He appeared in the 112th Grey Cup in a depth role.

Lemieux-Cardinal originally went unselected in the 2022 CFL Draft. He signed with the Redblacks as a free agent in 2023 but didn’t appear in any regular-season games. He joined the Alouettes in 2024 and dressed for one regular-season game, though he didn’t record any statistics.

The 29-year-old was a collegiate standout at the Université de Montréal, where he earned two RSEQ all-star selections, a second-team All-Canadian selection, and a first-team All-Canadian selection. He was also named the RSEQ Lineman of the Year in 2021.

The Ottawa Redblacks (1-16) will visit the Hamilton Tiger-Cats (5-12) at Hamilton Stadium on Saturday, October 24 with kickoff scheduled for 3:00 p.m. ET. The Redblacks are coming off a dramatic win over the Toronto Argonauts that ended their 22-game losing skid, while the Tiger-Cats were on bye this past week.

The game will be broadcast on TSN in Canada and CFL+ internationally. Radio listeners can tune-in on TSN 1200 in Ottawa and the Ticats Audio Network in Hamilton.