For the 27th straight season, the Hamilton Tiger-Cats begin a new campaign having not won a Grey Cup the previous year.
After falling short in last year’s Eastern Final, the Tiger-Cats’ league-longest Grey Cup drought continued. The loss to the Montreal Alouettes marked the team’s fourth straight playoff squander. The team also hasn’t returned to the Grey Cup in four years and is 0-4 in the big dance since its win all the way back in 1999.
With veteran superstar quarterback Bo Levi Mitchell in the fold and leading what is a dynamic passing attack, the time is now for the Tiger-Cats to break through and finally win.
Let’s see where head coach Scott Milanovich’s squad stands heading into the 2026 season.
Offence
The partnership between Mitchell and Milanovich is a big part of the offence, but there will be a third major voice as well in the form of new playcaller Jarryd Baines.
After calling the offence for the past two seasons, Milanovich hands those responsibilities to the first-year offensive coordinator who’s been with the organization for the past six seasons, including the last two as the quarterbacks coach.
“Highly intelligent. We see the game similarly,” Milanovich said of Baines to the media in 2024. “He’s got a lot to give, a lot to offer, loves the game, high energy, works his ass off every single day. He’s a rising star.”
Baines inherits an offence that finished top three in net offence per game (376.4), offensive points per game (26.9), and passing yards per game (297.4). It was the unit that allowed back-to-back Most Outstanding Player finalist Mitchell to dissect teams through the air with his poise, experience, and accuracy.
Outside of the offensive coordinator, there are more changes around Mitchell from the great unit a year ago, including two new receivers, two new offensive linemen, and a new starting tailback.
Starting with the latter, as rookie American Larry Rountree III seems primed to step into the spot vacated by Greg Bell. The 5-foot-10, 27-year-old spent the last two seasons in the UFL (173 yards and four touchdowns on 43 attempts) after having a cup of coffee in the NFL and setting a Missouri University record for career rushing yards (3,720).
Hamilton used Bell a ton as a checkdown option, screen option, and a lot in the receiving game in general in 2025, as the team finished as the second-highest frequent passing team in the CFL (68.9 per cent). How Rountree fits in that aspect, or if there is a shift in how the lead back is used, will be something to monitor.
This high-powered passing attack will have a couple of new pass catchers as well, as American Keric Wheatfall and Canadian Kurleigh Gittens Jr. were added through free agency.
They join a core that features returning starters in Shemar Bridges and the star duo of American Kenny Lawler and National Kiondre Smith. The pair were fantastic in 2025, as Lawler finished the year with 86 grabs (third), 1,443 yards (second), and 14 touchdowns (first), while Smith wasn’t far behind with 86 catches of his own for 1,126 yards, both of which were top two marks among Canadians.
It’s a group that features lots of size and speed while also boasting the best end zone and jump ball threat north of the border in Lawler.
Despite changes up front, the offensive line remains deep and set to keep Mitchell upright once again. The first change comes at left tackle, as Trevor Reid returns to the CFL after a stint down south. Quinton Barrow returns and will man the right tackle spot, who, at 6-foot-6 and 331 pounds, has become one of the best run blockers in the league.
Five-time All-CFL Canadian Brandon Revenberg, as well as former all-star Liam Dobson, once again occupy the guard spots, while the final change comes at centre with former Winnipeg Blue Bomber Chris Kolankowski inserted. 2024 first-round pick Nathaniel Dumoulin Duguay and 2026 first-round selection Jonathan Denis add depth as well.
The team lived and died by how well the offence performed last season. In an ideal world, Mitchell and the unit won’t be leaned on as much, but the group seems more than capable of posting high marks in most offensive categories once again, especially through the air.
Defence
Most would agree that a lot of the success in Hamilton was driven by the offence, as the defence had its flaws.
Overall, Hamilton allowed the second most net offence (374.1) and offensive points (26.5) per game, while also giving up the most rushing yards per contest (111.0). The unit also allowed the most big plays (48).
To make matters worse, defensive coordinator Brent Monson’s group lost linebacker and 2025 second-overall pick Devin Veresuk to the NFL and defensive back DaShaun Amos to the Toronto Argonauts.
Monson will have to get a better performance out of the defence in his second year as the playcaller, especially defending the run. Luckily, the team was able to acquire Wynton McManis, one of the prizes of free agency who is among the very best at plugging gaps and can certainly aid the league’s worst run defence from a year ago.
The former Argo is a three-time Grey Cup champion and two-time All-CFL team member, and he has familiarity with Monson dating back to the pair’s time together in Calgary.
Filling out the rest of the linebacking core will be Reggie Stubblefield at the nickel, who is now two years removed from an ACL tear following an outstanding rookie season in 2023, and Braxton Hill on the weak side, who’s been in Hamilton’s system after logging 160 snaps in 2025.
The defensive line’s play may be the key to just how high the overall defence’s ceiling is, as after a strong finish to the year, it will be asked to improve in all facets after an overall inconsistent 2025. The woes defending the run have been highlighted, but the group – outside of Most Outstanding Defensive Player of the Year finalist Julian Howsare – struggled to generate a consistent pass rush, as the unit finished with only the sixth most sacks (39), fourth most tackles for loss (32), and third fewest forced fumbles (11).
Howsare put together his best year as a pro in 2025 despite this, as the edge led the CFL in pressures (75), finishing second in sacks (13), third in pressure rate (13.8), and first in tackles amongst defensive linemen (43). The 33-year-old accumulated for a league-best 33.3 per cent of his team sacks, though Philip Ossai stepped up on the other edge once given the opportunity.
After starter TyJuan Garbutt suffered a season-ending knee injury in Week 7, Ossai stepped into the lineup and still hasn’t stepped back out, as the 25-year-old heads into 2026 as the starter after putting up eight sacks (fifth) and 39 tackles (fourth among defensive linemen) in only 12 games last season.
On the interior, Mario Kendricks Jr. and Miles Fox return and will soak up the majority of the snaps after former All-CFL defensive tackle Casey Sayles joined the BC Lions. The 25-year-old Kendrick’s five sacks in 2025 were the fifth most among interior guys, while Fox’s 43 pressures were the second-most among defensive tackles and eighth among all defensive linemen.
It’s a foursome that clearly can be disruptive against the pass and should cause more chaos and generate more pressure in 2026, but they have to prove they can consistently stop the run.
Overall, Monson’s unit was gamble-heavy, and what went well for the unit in 2025 was that they turned the ball over at a high clip, leading the league in turnovers forced (44). Most of those came from their league-leading 27 interceptions as they also led in points off turnovers by a wide margin (134).
It’s a scheme that works well with ball-hawking personnel on the back end – the clear strength of the group – and between corner Jamal Peters, half Destin Talbert, and Canadian safety Stavros Katsantonis, there’s plenty of that to go around.
All three of those defensive backs are among the best at their positions and have been the heartbeat of the defence. On the strong side, however, DaShaun Amos and Jonathan Moxey have departed. The mix of the experienced Devodric Bynum, rookie American and former NFL sixth-round pick Gregory Junior, and second-year cover man Quavian White will soak up the responsibility.
If the back end can remain dynamic while the defensive line builds on the promise they showed late last year, all while adding perennial All-CFL selection McManis into the mix, better times could be ahead.
With the offence operating at such a high level, the defence will need to match that output if Hamilton wants to snap their Grey Cup drought once and for all.
