As the 2026 season approaches, CFL.ca is here to catch you up with the 5 Things To Know series. Each article will look at key storylines facing each team this season, while examining off-season movement and where your team might stand in 2026.
The Hamilton Tiger-Cats’ 2025 campaign ended with Alouettes kicker José Maltos Díaz booting the game-winning field goal with no time left in the Eastern Final.
They saw their 11-7 season sail through the uprights, sending those wearing black and gold home a week earlier than they had hoped.
That was then, however, and this is now.
With a few key additions on both sides of the ball and some returning faces ready for redemption, the Tabbies are ready to take on the 2026 campaign with unfinished business.
“I’m just taking in the pain,” said receiver Kenny Lawler. “What it felt like, the heartbreak of not being able to go to the Grey Cup, I’m bringing that with me. I use that pain to be able to fuel me and be able to give me something to chase and ultimately want to correct.”
As Lawler and his team get ready for their season kickoff on June 4 against the same Alouettes that eliminated them last year, here are five things to know about the Hamilton Tiger-Cats.
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AN ABUNDANCE OF RICHES AT RECEIVER
One of the top passing offences in the CFL called Hamilton home in 2025.
Led by Bo Levi Mitchell (more on him in a moment), the Tabbies finished the season first in passing touchdowns (36) and had the third-highest passing yards per game (297.4).
Kenny Lawler, in his first year with the Ticats, found immediate chemistry with Mitchell, enjoying his best season so far. The 31-year-old led his team in yards (1,443), targets (144), and touchdowns (14). Unofficially, he also led the team in catches that made everyone’s jaw drop.
Kiondré Smith, too, had a breakout season, hauling in 1,126 yards and five majors. Tim White was the other 1,000-yard receiver in Hamilton, but with him departing to Winnipeg, the Ticats went to work during free agency.
Keric Wheatfall, Kurleigh Gittens Jr. and Tyson Middlemost signed as free agents, and Shemar Bridges inked an extension, giving Mitchell plenty of talent to build on the passing attack from last season.
“(There are) so many veterans on the team and so many guys that understand ball and understand the CFL,” said Lawler. “Adding that veteran leadership to the team is going to take the team and this offence to the next level.”
BO KNOWS
Mitchell continued to cement himself as one of the best pivots in the league in 2024 and 2025, earning back-to-back Most Outstanding Player nominations.
Last year felt like a vintage Mitchell campaign, as the veteran quarterback turned back the clock with one of his best performances of his career, showing few signs of slowing down. He threw a career-high 36 touchdown passes, led one of the CFL’s most explosive offences and scored his first major on the ground since 2015.
With new weapons at his disposal, along with some returning ones, Mitchell and the Tiger-Cats believe their aerial attack can be even more dangerous this season.
“His arm talent is amazing, the strength that he still has,” Lawler said. “(He can) push the ball when he needs to throw it down the field, but then he knows when to put touch, and then the accuracy that he has. Then tie that in with the trust level that we were able to create in camp.”
NEW MAN IN THE MIDDLE
Wynton McManis signed with the Tiger-Cats this off-season after being released by the Argos before hitting the free agent market (CFL.ca)
Wynton McManis is heading down the QEW in 2026, leaving his Double Blue behind for Black and Gold.
“I’ll describe him as an anchor,” Lawler said of his new teammate. “Someone that sets the defence, puts them in position, leads by not only the energy and the leadership that he has, but also with his play.”
In 2025, McManis tallied 62 tackles, four sacks, two tackles for a loss and a forced fumble. And he doesn’t shy away from a big game either. McManis was a standout in the 111th Grey Cup, recording six defensive tackles and three knockdowns, and he returned an interception 58 yards to set up Ka’Deem Carey’s touchdown late in the contest.
Now he takes his talents to Hamilton’s opportunistic defence, one that thrived on takeaways last season. The Ticats led the CFL in interceptions (27) and tallied 72 knockdowns, one fewer than first-place Winnipeg. They also forced the most turnovers (44) and cashed in on them, scoring the most points after a takeaway (134).
“I want to be able to get across just this fact of detail,” said McManis of his role on his new team. “I’m coming in and I feel like, I’m not saying that they’re lacking detail, but I just feel like to get over a lot of humps when you look deep down into it, it’s just details in certain situations.”
With three Grey Cup wins on his resume and leadership qualities any defensive coordinator would love to have, who better to join a team looking to snap a championship drought?
WHO STARTS AT RUNNING BACK?
The major question heading into this season is who will carry the rock?
Last year, that job belonged to Greg Bell. The six-foot, 200-pounder rushed for 1,038 rushing yards on 184 carries in 15 games and was a key piece of the Ticats offence. But with Bell joining the Ottawa REDBLACKS as a free agent, the backfield feels wide open.
Canadian Johnny Augustine has the most experience of the group after he suited up in 17 games last season. He took 61 handoffs for 242 yards and got in on the passing game, hauling in 12 receptions for 134 yards. Ante Litre is another running back on the team, but he was mainly used on short yardage plays for the last few seasons.
The team also has some new talent who could earn the starting job. Shane Watts, who spent last season on the practice roster and is a name that could move to the top of the depth chart, and former Central Michigan University running back Nahree Biggins was signed earlier this week.
Replacing Bell’s explosiveness won’t be easy, but Hamilton has several options ready for their opportunity.
THEY WANT THE CUP
Obviously. What team doesn’t?
But after coming so close last season and with the 113th Grey Cup being played at McMahon Stadium, a place that Mitchell and McManis both called home, it seems there’s a bit more motivation.
“It would be like fireworks going off,” McManis smiled when asked what it would be like to win a Grey Cup at the stadium where it all started for him.
“Then a fighter jet flies over top, and your favourite rock band is out there, and then all of your favourite candy is out, and then somebody pops up with some cookies.”
McManis and Mitchell both started their careers in Calgary, calling McMahon home for three and 10 years, respectively. Now, years after their time in Calgary, both have a chance to hoist the cup on their old stomping grounds.
