Ticats among teams interested in former Lions' DE Betts
Published
The Hamilton Tiger-Cats are among the teams with a "strong interest" in signing Canadian defensive lineman and reigning Most Outstanding Defensive Player Mathieu Betts, TSN's Farhan Lalji reports.
Betts, 28, spent the last two seasons with the BC Lions and had a breakout campaign last year, registering 18 sacks and four forced fumbles in 18 games. His 18 sacks set a national player record for sacks in a season, surpassing Brent Johnson and Jamaal Westerman.
Lalji adds that the Saskatchewan Riders are also "very interested" in Betts, and that the Lions are still interested in re-signing their star lineman.
Betts would provide a big boost to a Hamilton pass rush that finished one sack ahead of the Edmonton Elks and Roughriders, who tied for last in the league in that department. Hamilton's defence had a middling performance across the board en route to an 8-10 finish.
Originally drafted by Edmonton with the third overall selection in the 2019, the Laval, Que. product has 27 sacks and 81 tackles in 55 career CFL games played.
CFL free agency period officially opens on Feb. 13.