The Hamilton Tiger-Cats announced Tuesday that the football club has signed three free agents to practice roster agreements, including international defensive back Dominique Ellis, international offensive lineman Ryker Mathews and national linebacker Curtis Newton.
Ellis, 27, attended Hamilton’s 2017 training camp before being released on July 17. The 5-11, 185-pound native of Wendell, North Carolina, appeared in all 18 regular season games last season with the Tiger-Cats, making 13 starts at defensive back. Ellis has registered 106 defensive tackles, 19 special teams tackles, five interceptions and one forced fumble in 45 games during his three-year CFL career with the Montreal Alouettes (2014-15) and Tiger-Cats (2016). Prior to playing in the CFL, Ellis spent time with the National Football League’s Kansas City Chiefs and Buffalo Bills after three years at South Carolina State University (2009-11).
Mathews, 24, attended training camp with the National Football League’s New Orleans Saints in 2016, suffered a knee injury and was released on September 16. The 6-6, 320-pound offensive lineman was originally signed as an undrafted free agent by New Orleans on May 6, 2016. Prior to turning pro, the native of American Fork, Utah, spent five years (2011-15) at Brigham Young University, where he played in 45 games with 33 starts for the Cougars.
Newton, 24, played in two games with the Toronto Argonauts this season before being released on July 11. The 6-2, 220-pound linebacker played in 16 games for the Argonauts in 2016, registering five special teams tackles. The native of London, Ontario, was originally selected by Toronto in the fifth round, 40th overall, in the 2016 CFL Draft. Newton played in 29 games over four seasons (2012-15) at the University of Guelph, registering 139 defensive tackles, 16 tackles for loss, seven quarterback sacks, four interceptions, six pass breakups and three fumble recoveries.
The Tiger-Cats also announced a series of other transactions on Tuesday.
The following two players have been released:
NAT – DB – Tristan Doughlin
NAT – OL – Mathieu Dupuis
