Free agency can change a team in obvious ways.
A new quarterback resets expectations. A marquee pass rusher alters protection schemes. Those moves are easy to circle. But sometimes the most meaningful shifts come from additions that refine rather than rebuild.
These are players stepping into situations that already have a foundation. A receiver who can stretch the field for a quarterback ready to take another leap. A veteran playmaker who restores balance to a contender’s offence. A tone-setting linebacker joining a defence that’s close to turning the corner. If 2026 ends up looking different than 2025, it may be because of moves like these.
AYDEN EBERHARDT | RECEIVER | OTTAWA REDBLACKS
There’s a scenario where this becomes the quiet move that unlocks everything.
The REDBLACKS have their quarterback in Dru Brown. What they’ve needed is a true X factor on the outside, someone who forces defences to defend every blade of grass. Ayden Eberhardt brings that explosive ability. Pair his downfield burst with Brown’s arm strength and suddenly Ottawa’s offence has a vertical dimension that changes coverages and lightens boxes.
He doesn’t need 120 catches to matter. If he consistently wins on the boundary and punishes single coverage, he could be the piece that turns Ottawa from competitive to legitimately dangerous in the East.
TIM WHITE | RECEIVER | WINNIPEG BLUE BOMBERS
Tim White turning this into 15 yards 👀#CFLGameday
📅: @GoElks vs. @Ticats LIVE NOW
🇨🇦: TSN, RDS2
🌎: CFL+ pic.twitter.com/A33J6XQhtw— CFL (@CFL) September 21, 2025
Technically, Tim White hit the market after being released prior to free agency, but make no mistake, this is a premium addition.
The Blue Bombers have always been at their best when they can dictate terms both through the air and on the ground. White has topped 1,000 yards in each of the last four seasons and brings proven production to a passing attack that already features Nic Demski. Giving Winnipeg a reliable running mate opposite Demski has the potential to re-open the version of this offence that powered five straight Grey Cup appearances.
If defences can no longer tilt coverage one way, the run game benefits. If the run game rolls, play-action becomes lethal. White doesn’t have to be the focal point every week, but his presence could restore the offensive balance that made Winnipeg so difficult to defend at its peak.
DARNELL SANKEY | LINEBACKER | BC LIONS
THAT WILL DO IT!
Darnell Sankey has Montreal heading to Hamilton for the Eastern Final!
📅: Eastern Semi-Final LIVE NOW
🇨🇦: TSN, RDS, CTV
🌎: CFL+#GCPlayoffs | @MTLAlouettes pic.twitter.com/f0hgNm7Bkh— CFL (@CFL) November 1, 2025
All Sankey does is win.
Like White, Darnell Sankey was released before free agency opened, making his availability more procedural than performance-based. When he joined Montreal in 2023, he transformed the tone and consistency of that defence. His motor, tackling range and leadership showed up immediately.
The Lions already boast one of the league’s most explosive offences. If their defence builds on the promising second half of 2025 and adds Sankey’s presence in the middle, the ceiling rises quickly. He doesn’t need to reinvent the unit, just stabilize it, command it and allow the playmakers around him to be more aggressive.
In a league where complementary football decides championships, Sankey might be the kind of addition that pushes BC from contender to complete.
