‘I’m ready to play now’: B.C. Lions weighing return timeline for veteran cornerback Garry Peters

Photo courtesy: Steven Chang/B.C. Lions

The B.C. Lions’ defence is in the midst of a headline-grabbing turnaround, and one of their biggest stars still has yet to see the field.

Cornerback Garry Peters has been sidelined since training camp with a nagging knee injury. However, the two-time All-CFL selection is finally trending in the right direction, and could even be available for Sunday’s clash with the Ottawa Redblacks.

“I think he’s close,” head coach Buck Pierce told 3DownNation on Friday. “We’ll have some conversations when we get back to the facility today, and we have some time to look at it. He’s been chomping at the bit to get back, and we needed to see him put together some consistent days. He looked good today. I think he’s feeling confident. It was nice to be able to get a full week of practice here at home too. We’ve kind of had some long weeks booked in with some short weeks. We’ve got another one coming up, so I’m optimistic about it.”

Peters was a full participant during Wednesday and Thursday’s practice sessions, but was once again limited on Friday and listed as questionable for the game. His usage would suggest that whether or not he gets on the active roster depends on the health of other players in the secondary, namely halfback Ronald Kent Jr., who is also listed as questionable with a hip injury.

Despite his status being up in the air, the nine-year veteran is completely confident in his ability to perform this week if called upon.

“It’s not up to me to decide when I play, but I know I’m ready to play now,” Peters said. “I know I’m going to help my team. Whatever Coach wants me to do, whether he wants me to play this week or just coach or get out there next week, I’ll be ready to play. That’s my mindset. I’m ready to play now.”

The 34-year-old missed two games with a knee injury in 2025, seeing his consecutive games played streak end at 115. However, he battled through a sprain and a micro-tear in his meniscus to make 16 appearances, producing 49 defensive tackles, three interceptions, six pass knockdowns and a forced fumble. He added six tackles and a pair of knockdowns in two playoff contests.

After seeking treatment in the offseason, Peters expected to be full strength once again. Unfortunately, problems re-emerged in training camp, and he was unable to fully recover during the team’s Week 1 bye. He was ruled out ahead of the season-opener and has remained on the six-game injured list ever since.

“It’s been a long nine or 10 months for me. I thought I would be back a lot sooner, but been having a lot of hiccups,” Peters admitted.

“It wasn’t like it was regular, daily pain that you just got to push through or anything like that. It was just my knee was catching, and then once it caught, it would take forever to uncatch. That was the biggest issue that I was having. The doctors and the trainers, we just worked super hard for like the last three, four months. I’ve just been going hard every single day, and now we’re at a point where I feel like I’m back to my normal self again.”

Peters is eighth in the Lions’ all-time record book for defensive tackles. In 139 career CFL games, he has produced 440 defensive tackles, 19 special teams tackles, two sacks, 19 interceptions, and three forced fumbles.

The native of Conyers, Ga., believes that he’s finally ready at the exact right moment for the Lions, with the opportunity to add to a winning formula down the stretch. However, skeptics might argue that there is no reason to rock the boat by adding an aging veteran to the mix in the middle of a four-game winning streak.

“I think if you’re in the building all the time and you’re around, and you see it, you’re probably a little less worried,” Pierce said. “He’s a player that’s proven it, and he’s put the work in over the last number of months to get ready. We’re confident that he’s going to come in and be the guy that we know him to be.”

Peters isn’t the only veteran who could be making his return in the near future. Canadian safety Cristophe Beaulieu was a full participant in all three practices this week as he works his way back from a torn ACL suffered last season and appears ahead of schedule, with Pierce stating he could be ready “very quickly.”

With changes on the horizon, defensive coordinator Mike Benevides has no concerns about the chemistry of his unit.

“I told some of the younger guys that may not stay on the roster, if you were a fourth or fifth or sixth or ninth-year vet, you would be given the respect that if you’re healthy enough, you’re going to go play,” he said.

“A veteran has equity with me and with us because they’ve done it before. But they have to be healthy enough to do it. My hope is we could slowly integrate some of those guys back in.”

The B.C. Lions (4-5) will visit the Ottawa Redblacks (0-10) at TD Place Stadium on Sunday, August 30, with kickoff scheduled for 7:00 p.m. EDT. The Lions are coming off a 30-16 win over Saskatchewan, while the Redblacks were blown out by the Montreal Alouettes.

The weather forecast in Ottawa calls for 23 degrees with a mix of sun and cloud. The game will be broadcast on TSN and RDS2 in Canada, CBS Sports Network in the United States, and CFL+ internationally. Radio listeners can tune in on 730 CKNW (English) or Sher-E-Punjab Radio AM 600 (Punjabi) in Vancouver or TSN 1200 in Ottawa.

J.C. Abbott is a University of British Columbia graduate and high school football coach. He covers the CFL, B.C. Lions, CFL Draft and the three-down league’s Global initiative.