The Ottawa Redblacks have released veteran returner DeVonte Dedmon, who was scheduled to become a free agent next month.
The 30-year-old played eight regular-season games in 2025, returning 22 kickoffs for 513 yards, 20 punts for 232 yards, and two missed field goals for 32 yards.
“DeVonte is a playmaker who accomplished great things during his time here,” said team vice-president of football operations Shawn Burke. “He truly embraced the Ottawa community and was an important part of our organization since arriving in 2019. We’re grateful for everything he brought to the team and wish him all the best moving forward.”
The native of Williamsburg, Va. had his best season in 2021 when he was named the CFL’s Most Outstanding Special Teams Player. He led the league in punt return yards (737), kickoff return yards (1,223), punt return touchdowns (two), and kickoff return touchdowns (one) that season and was also Ottawa’s nominee for Most Outstanding Player.
The five-foot-ten, 185-pound speedster attended training camp with the Miami Dolphins in 2022 but returned to the Redblacks following his release down south.
In total, Dedmon has returned 128 kickoffs for 3,347 yards, 151 punts for 1,985 yards, 10 missed field goals for 290 yards, and scored six return touchdowns over 42 regular-season CFL games. He has also caught 25 passes for 226 yards, rushed 18 times for 88 yards, and scored twice on offence.
The Ottawa Redblacks finished fourth in the East Division standings in 2025 with a 4-14 record, missing the playoffs for the fifth time in the last six seasons. Dru Brown went 2-7 over nine starts at quarterback, throwing for 2,389 yards, 14 touchdowns, and 10 interceptions. Dustin Crum went 2-4 over six starts, throwing for 1,771 yards, six touchdowns, and two interceptions.
The Redblacks ranked sixth in net offence, fifth in net defence, and ninth with a turnover differential of minus-16. The club’s leading rusher was William Stanback with 698 yards, leading receiver was Justin Hardy with 1,019 yards, and leading tackler was Adarius Pickett with 84 tackles. Ottawa finished eighth in attendance with average crowds of 18,136, which was a 4.2 percent decrease from the previous year.
