Tiger-Cats preview: Key additions/subtractions, players to watch, biggest storylines of 2023 season
Published
Coach: Orlondo Steinauer
GM: Drew Allemang
2022 Record: 8-10; lost Eastern Semi-Final to Montreal Alouettes
Opening game: June 9 @ Winnipeg Blue Bombers
Coming off an 8-10 2022 campaign that ended in an Eastern Semi-Final loss to the Montreal Alouettes, the Hamilton Tiger-Cats look to hoist the Grey Cup for the first time since 1999 with former Calgary Stampeders quarterback Bo Levi Mitchell under centre.
At the helm of the 2023 Tiger-Cats is president of football operations and head coach Orlondo Steinauer, who is entering his ninth season with the Black and Gold. Steinauer, who served as an assistant head coach to June Jones in 2018, assumed head coaching duties the following season.
New to the Ticats' coaching staff is Scott Milanovich, Grey Cup-winning head coach of the 2012 Toronto Argonauts, who returns to the CFL and will serve as a senior assistant coach after spending with the Indianapolis Colts as a quarterbacks coach.
Key additions and subtractions
The biggest move of the off-season was the move that came before free agency began as the Tiger-Cats sent the Stampeders a third-round pick in the 2023 CFL Draft, a fourth-round pick in the 2024 CFL Draft and future considerations in exchange for the rights to Mitchell.
Upon his arrival, the 33-year-old signed a three-year deal with the Tiger-Cats, inspiring hope and solidifying the quarterback position in Hamilton.
A native Texan, Mitchell played in 18 games for the Stampeders last season, completing 160 passes for 2,010 yards and nine touchdowns. A two-time Grey Cup champion and Grey Cup MVP (2014, 2018), Mitchell embarks on a new chapter in Hamilton as 26-year-old Jake Maier takes the reins of the Stampeders’ offence and ushers in a new era in Cowtown.
Mitchell’s addition to the Ticats’ offence comes in the wake of the departure of former starter turned BC Lions quarterback Dane Evans, who was acquired by the Lions in exchange for a conditional fourth-round pick in the 2024 CFL Draft
Along with Mitchell, the Tiger-Cats bolstered their offence with former Lions offensive lineman Joel Figueroa, who returns for a second stint with the Tiger-Cats, along with 1,000-yard rusher James Butler and wide receiver Duke Williams. Regina native and former Stampeder Richie Sindani also followed Mitchell to Hamilton. Two-time CFL All-Star wide receiver (2021, 2022) Tim White was also re-signed.
Defensive additions were bountiful for the Tiger-Cats, a team that, historically, has had a profound defensive identity.
Linebacker Simoni Lawrence returns for his 10th season with the Tiger-Cats alongside a familiar face in defensive tackle Ja’Gared Davis, who also returns for an encore performance after winning a Grey Cup with the Argonauts last season.
External additions are highlighted by two-time Grey Cup-winning defensive lineman with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers Casey Sayles, former Stampeders linebacker Jameer Thurman, and former Argonauts All-Star defensive back Chris Edwards. The Tiger-Cats added to their defensive line days before the start of the regular season, acquiring Jonathan Kongbo from the Lions on June 5 in exchange for a fourth-round pick in the 2024 CFL Draft.
The biggest departures for the Tiger-Cats’ defence are defensive end Julian Howsare, who signed with the Stampeders, and linebacker Jovan Santos-Knox, who was signed by the Ottawa Redblacks.
It was announced on June 1 that rookie wide receiver Justin McGriff would likely miss the entire 2023 season due to an undisclosed injury.
Player to watch
The Tiger-Cats’ quest to end the league’s longest Grey Cup drought starts and ends with Mitchell.
Having controversies at the quarterback position dating back to the 2018 season with Jeremiah Masoli and Evans vying for the No. 1 job, the Ticats’ offence has not relied on a single arm in quite some time.
With the plethora of offensive weapons in White, Butler, Williams, and Guelph University product Kiondre Smith, Mitchell’s third Grey Cup victory may be on the horizon.
Insider analysis
“Let the Bo Levi Mitchell era begin. At age 33, Mitchell is five years removed from his most recent Grey Cup game but anything less than getting back to the big game will be considered a disappointment. The Cats are stacked at the offensive skill positions around Mitchell, having added running back James Butler from B.C. and ex-Roughrider Duke Williams at receiver. On defence they’ve got great depth and talent up front but some untested talent in the secondary will have to prove it’s worthy of this team.” – TSN Football Insider Dave Naylor
“There are new faces in a lot of key positions in Hamilton, and they could all make huge contributions: RB James Butler, LB Chris Edwards, LT Joel Figueroa, DL Jameer Thurman, and WR Richie Sindani. But this is Bo Levi Mitchell's team, and the whole league wants to know if the two-time Grey Cup champion, two-time Most Outstanding Player, and one of the most consistent winners in CFL history is still the Bo we know. Notwithstanding plenty of Hamilton turnover the last few seasons, a few trademark Ticats remain (LB Simoni Lawrence, DT Ted Laurent, and OG Brandon Revenberg) to emphasize to all Black and Gold newcomers the significance – and maybe more dramatically, the imperative – of another Grey Cup game at Tim Hortons Field.” – TSN’s Matthew Scianitti
2023 must-see games on TSN, TSN.ca, and the TSN App
Week 1 - The Tiger-Cats and Blue Bombers open the 2023 season in rematch of the 107th and 108th Grey Cup.
Week 2 – The Tiger-Cats head to BMO Field to take on the Argonauts as the Boatmen unveil their Grey Cup banner.
Week 5 – The Tiger-Cats head to Montreal to take on former signal caller Masoli and the Redblacks.
Week 13 – Having lost last year’s edition of the Labour Day Classic, the Tiger-Cats look to rebound against the Argonauts.
Week 15 – The Tiger-Cats and the CFL host the annual Hall of Fame Game as members of the 2023 class are forever enshrined in the Canadian Football Hall of Fame.
Week 17 – Mitchell and the Tiger-Cats take on his former team as they welcome the Stampeders to Tim Hortons Field.