Ottawa Redblacks sign five, release two

Photo courtesy: Steven Chang/B.C. Lions

The Ottawa Redblacks have signed five American players, including running back Julian Gray, receivers John Dunmore and TJ Speight, and defensive backs Shadwel Nkuba II and Jordan Perryman.

Gray went unselected in the recent 2026 NFL Draft. The five-foot-eleven, 195-pound ball-carrier played two collegiate seasons at Liberty, where he rushed for 164 yards, caught 25 passes for 315 yards, and scored five touchdowns over 16 games.

Dunmore finished his collegiate career at Towson, where he made 96 catches for 1,252 yards and 12 touchdowns over 26 games. The six-foot-two, 185-pound native of Fort Lauderdale, Fla. was also effective on special teams, returning 28 kickoffs for 661 yards and one touchdown.

Speight played 42 collegiate games at Monmouth, where he caught 154 passes for 1,959 yards and 12 touchdowns. The five-foot-eleven, 170 target was also an effective returner, bringing back 38 kickoffs for 937 yards and two scores.

Nkuba II finished his collegiate career at Illinois State in 2025, where he made 79 total tackles, 2.5 tackles for loss, five interceptions, eight pass knockdowns, one sack, one forced fumble, and one fumble recovery. The six-foot-one, 190-pound native of Lewisville, Texas previously played at Louisiana.

Perryman played 10 regular-season games with the B.C. Lions in 2024, making seven defensive tackles, six special teams tackles, and one forced fumble. The six-foot, 200-pound native of Hanford, Calif. was a two-time All-Big Sky selection during his collegiate career at UC Davis before transferring to Washington.

The Redblacks have also released American offensive lineman Marcus ‘Tank’ Jenkins and American defensive back Abe Camara.

Jenkins spent four collegiate seasons at the University of Houston, where he was a three-year starter at guard. The six-foot-two, 320-pound native of Montgomery, Ala. started his collegiate career at Texas A&M but didn’t see any game action. He signed with the team on Tuesday.

Camara signed with the team in March. He played collegiately at TCU, where he made 150 total tackles, nine tackles for loss, 15 pass knockdowns, three forced fumbles, and one interception.

Ottawa has also placed Canadian receiver Nick Mardner and American defensive back Amari Henderson on the injured veteran list.

The Ottawa Redblacks recently selected Purdue offensive lineman Giordano Vaccaro with their first-round pick in the 2026 CFL Draft and it appears he could be a day-one starter. The team’s other major offseason additions include quarterback Jake Maier, running back Greg Bell, linebacker A.J. Allen, and strong-side linebacker C.J. Reavis.

All CFL training camps are scheduled to open on May 10. The team will play its first preseason game against the Montreal Alouettes on Friday, May 22 and its first regular-season game against the Edmonton Elks on Saturday, June 6.

In 2025, Ottawa finished fourth in the East Division standings with a 4-14 record, missing the playoffs for the fifth time in the last six seasons. Ryan Dinwiddie was hired as the team’s head coach and general manager after the firing of Bob Dyce.