Meet the new B.C. Lions, same as the old B.C. Lions.
While other teams scrambled to make moves after the starting bell rang in CFL free agency, the Lions stayed outside the fray. Since February 10, the team has signed just three players with CFL experience, none of whom seem like locks to make the final roster. The team’s clear message: we have what we need in-house.
While no fan is ever comfortable with inaction from their team, this was hardly an unexpected result for those who have been paying attention. General manager Ryan Rigmaiden worked to re-sign 18 of his own pending free agents at no small expense, emptying the war chest in an attempt to maintain the core that brought the franchise within seconds of a Grey Cup berth. The coffers are now bare.
The few splashes that the franchise could afford were made in the weeks prior to free agency. Defensive tackle Casey Sayles and middle linebacker Darnell Sankey are two veteran all-star additions that any team would be proud to hang their hat on, and both should be upgrades over the players they replaced in DeWayne Hendrix and Micah Awe.
However, while those players might make B.C. better, there is plenty of reason to wonder whether the Lions are actually better off in 2026 — or, rather, whether they are any closer to the championship they seek.
Both moves belie a similar motivation. Hendrix was an effective pass rusher, but one-dimensional and a liability against the run. Sayles, when healthy, has proven to be among the CFL’s most well-rounded interior disruptors. Awe racked up tackles like nobody’s business, but rarely made them in a spot that was disadvantageous to the offence. Sankey has a similar nose for the football, but makes far more of his plays on the front foot.
After finishing seventh last season against the run with an average of 105.3 yards allowed, the Lions have gotten tougher, more physical, and more aggressive inside. This has been the team’s mission for years, tired of being labelled as a soft dome team that can’t bar the door come playoff time. But was an inability to stop the ground game really the reason why the organization came up short in 2025?
A quick glance at the team’s projected depth chart shows a lack of insurance behind Nathan Rourke, who missed two games due to injury last year. The Lions lost both of them, as well as the game in which he was hurt.
B.C. was involved in negotiations with Tre Ford and Dustin Crum during the free agent window, but failed to secure a deal with either. Now in his fourth season of development with little to show for it, Chase Brice will enter 2026 as the presumptive number two and is currently the only other quarterback with CFL experience on the roster. That’s a risky proposition given that B.C. didn’t trust him over Jeremiah Masoli last season.
That won’t matter if Brice is never needed, but there is a good chance that the Lions’ protection takes a step back next year as well. With all due respect to Ayden Eberhardt, All-CFL left tackle Jarell Broxton was the only player of substance that Rigmaiden failed to lure back, as Winnipeg made him the CFL’s highest-paid American offensive lineman. His loss, while not insurmountable, will be significant.
A healthy Dejon Allen should give B.C. one stalwart bookend, and the team has options on the other side to create a heated training camp competition. Chris Schleuger and bargain-bin pickup Isiah Cage are viable veteran alternatives, Kory Woodruff is capable of kicking over from guard, and the Lions are high on returning practice roster players Brandon Yates and Tyran Hunt. Still, there is no supplement for the best, and while Rourke’s quick release and elusiveness may take some pressure off his blockers, more pressure will be coming his way. That means an increased injury risk for the reigning M.O.P.
The defence has always benefited from Rourke’s health as much as the offence, as his ability to put up points has stifled many a run game by default. The team’s five losses that Rourke started and finished followed a similar storyline. In Week 7 and Week 12, they were torched through the air. In Week 8, Week 14, and the West Final, the defensive backfield imploded late in the fourth quarter, coughing up a comeback.
To be fair, losses can never be pinned on a handful of plays, and games don’t happen in a vacuum. Soft yards allowed on the ground were a problem throughout the season, but it wasn’t a fatal flaw. The secondary’s failure to deliver was, even if their overall numbers as a top-three defence against the pass didn’t show it. At this stage, the solution to that problem has yet to be determined.
After returning as a temporary stopgap late last season, T.J. Lee is back for more. With Garry Peters also back, the boundary side of the secondary next season could have a combined age of 69 years old. On the field side, the team will have to replace arguably their best young prospect, Robert Carter Jr., following his departure for the NFL.
It seems as though the Lions took a swing at upgrading the position group by extending an offer to former CFL interception leader Demerio Houston, but they later pulled it. Whether that decision was made due to his previous domestic violence allegations or unrelated roster reasons, it didn’t make the secondary any better.
The late addition of Dionte Ruffin, who has experience at both corner and halfback, brings some veteran savvy to the competition. Ultimately, however, there is a reason why Montreal let him go for nothing. The same is true of Marquise Bridges, who finished last season on the practice roster following his release from Winnipeg.
Every spot in the secondary should be up for grabs come training camp, and the Lions will have to hope that their offseason scouting has delivered impact rookies. Until those names emerge, it is hard to say with certainty that this team will be better than it was, no matter how tough and gritty the leaders are that they’ve added inside.
It’s unlikely that there will be further marquee additions at this stage, not only because the market is scarce but also because B.C. can’t pay them. As it stands now, the team will likely need an unexpected cut or two in training camp to provide financial breathing room.
What you see, for the most part, is what you get, and what you get is mostly the same as last year when players like Hendrix and Awe were added for much the same reason as their replacements have been now. Sayles and Sankey are version 2.0 of the same project.
That’s certainly no reason for panic. B.C. was arguably the CFL’s most dangerous team down the stretch last year, and with Rourke, a Grey Cup will always be possible. But the Lions, at least on paper, remain flawed, continuing to rest their salvation on the shoulders of the homegrown phenom and a few of his high-priced pals.
B.C. Lions 2026 offseason overview
Added
OL Isiah Cage (A)
DL Casey Sayles (A)
LB Dawson Pierre (N)
LB Darnell Sankey (A)
DB Dionte Ruffin (A)
Re-signed (* indicates practice roster player)
QB Chase Brice (A)
RB James Butler (A)
FB Riley Pickett (N)
REC Keon Hatcher Sr. (A)
REC Hergy Mayala (N)*
OL Dejon Allen (A)
OL Alex Berwick (N)*
OL Tyran Hunt (A)*
OL Andrew Peirson (N)
OL Chris Schleuger (A)
OL Brandon Yates (A)*
DL Anthony Bennett (N)*
DL Nathan Cherry (N)
DL Jonah Tavai (A)
DL Sione Teuhema (A)
LB Isaiah Guzylak-Messam (N)
LB Ben Hladik (N)
LB Adam Konar (N)
LB Jeremy Lewis (A)*
LB Maxime Rouyer (N)
DB Josh Hagerty (N)
DB T.J. Lee (A)
DB Garry Peters (A)
LS Cam Foran (N)*
K Sean Whyte (N)
P Ross Bolger (G)*
Not retained
QB Jeremiah Masoli (A) — free agent
REC Ayden Eberhardt (A) — Ottawa Redblacks
OL Jarell Broxton (A) — Winnipeg Blue Bombers
OL David Foucault (N) — free agent
DL DeWayne Hendrix (A) — Toronto Argonauts
LB Adam Auclair (N) — free agent
LB Micah Awe (A) — free agent
LB Josh Woods (A) — Saskatchewan Roughriders
DB Robert Carter Jr. (A) — Indianapolis Colts (NFL)
DB Jalon Edwards-Cooper (A) — free agent
LS Kyle Nelson (N) — free agent
