CFL.ca’s Top of the Depth Chart series offers an early, speculative look at how each team’s roster could shape up, highlighting potential starters and key position battles ahead of training camp.
The BC Lions were 11 seconds away from a 112th Grey Cup appearance, but Tommy Nield ruined that with a great catch in the end zone to put the Roughriders through to the championship game that they’d eventually win.
That’s how close the Lions were. One more play and the 2025 season would have had a different champion.
Here’s a look at how the Lions likely will line up this preseason and regular season in an effort to get this franchise’s first Grey Cup title in 15 years.
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OFFENCE
* denotes National
** denotes Global
QUARTERBACK
The reigning Most Outstanding Player and Most Outstanding Canadian returns to be two wins better this season.
After a shaky return to the CFL in 2024, Nathan Rourke poured himself into work in the off-season and put the league on notice that he’s ready to lead the Lions into another golden era of BC football.
I can’t wait to see what he has in store for an encore with much of the returning cast from 2025, including his top two targets.
Does he have a 6,000-yard season in him? After last season, I think he might.
RUNNING BACK
James Butler has come close to being the league’s leading rusher on two occasions and after a tremendous season with over 1,200 yards and 11 touchdowns, the Lions have a multi-purpose back who can do it all.
Butler is the perfect back for Buck Pierce’s philosophy of getting the ball into the playmakers’ hands in any way possible. Butler not only ran for 1,200 yards, but also had 70 targets and over 400 yards receiving.
Look for Butler to be another Lion hoping to be even better than last year – if that’s even possible.
RECEIVERS
Okay, if you haven’t figured it out by now, the BC Lions had the No. 1 offence in the CFL last season, as we’ve already gushed over James Butler and Nathan Rourke.
Rourke’s top two targets are returning this year in Keon Hatcher Sr., with over 1,600 yards receiving, and Justin McInnis, with over 1,200 yards receiving.
That’s a good start for the returning receiving corps in BC.
Add to that the veteran presence of Jevon Cottoy and the emerging talent of Stanley Berryhill, and the Lions have a group who will be hard to cover once again.
The only big departure from the receivers is Ayden Eberhardt, who left for Ottawa in free agency.
The player who will get the first chance to lock up that job will be Jermaine Jackson. The Lions have plenty of talent coming into camp to push their way onto the roster, if they can.
OFFENSIVE LINE
Quite literally, the biggest loss for the Lions in the off-season was outstanding offensive lineman Jarell Broxton. Broxton has joined the Bombers to try and upgrade Winnipeg’s offensive line.
In doing so, the Lions have had to reach into the CFL pool to try and fill the void as they have an open competition at left tackle, though the leader is Dejon Allen. After three-straight East Division All-CFL selections in Toronto, Allen had an injury-plagued 2025.
He’s signed a new two-year deal with BC to try and find that All-CFL status again, as he joins a group that remains intact outside of Broxton.
The Lions do have five American offensive linemen with various CFL experience to push Allen and Chris Schleuger in camp, although it is possible BC might look to go more than two Americans on the offensive line this year.
DEFENCE
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** denotes Global
DEFENSIVE LINE
The BC Lions needed to improve defensively and they went out and found Grey Cup champ and two-time West Division All-CFLer Casey Sayles to add to an experienced defensive line.
Mathieu Betts is a threat to win not only Most Outstanding Defensive Player every year but top Canadian as well – if his quarterback or receiver don’t get the award.
Sayles is actually only a complement to the dynamic interior defensive lineman Jonah Tavai. Tavai is a smaller tackle but is an absolute cannon ball off the snap, as he collected five sacks in 13 games last season. If Tavai can stay healthy, he could have an All-CFL-calibre season.
Another player the Lions are hoping can stay healthy this season is Sione Teuhema. After three-straight seasons with seven or more sacks, Teuhema took a step back after only playing nine games last season.
LINEBACKERS
Darnell Sankey was added to this group in what could be the most impactful free agent signing of the off-season in the CFL.
Do you remember when Sankey was added to the Montreal Alouettes? He helped take them to a Grey Cup championship and then helped get them back there again in 2025.
Sankey is joined by Ben Hladik, who will try to hold off internal competition to get reps after back-to-back years where he didn’t live up to the 100-tackle season he put up in 2023.
The coverage linebacker entering the final few weeks of camp is Deontai Williams. The hard-hitting defensive back finally got some consistent playing time after signing in BC in 2025 and got the trust of the coaches as the season went on.
DEFENSIVE BACKS
BC’s defensive backs are another solid group of CFL vets, as Garry Peters and T.J. Lee will lock it down on one side with Ronald Kent Jr. and newcomer C.J. Coldon on the other.
Coldon arrives from Ottawa. The 27-year-old had three interceptions in 17 games and after his first full season in the CFL will try to hold down a starting spot with a few new faces trying to put pressure on him at corner.
I’m also excited to see what Jackson Findlay can do in his second year. He’s just a kid at 22 years old, but already has a year of pro experience under his belt.
SPECIAL TEAMS
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** denotes Global
This is a great group as well for the Lions led by Mr. Automatic in the CFL. Sean Whyte has been over 90 per cent in field goal success rate for four-straight years with a 95.1 per cent success rate in 2025. The guy is getting better with age.
Carl Meyer had the league’s third-best net punting average and fourth-best punting average.
Seven McGee is another new return man to look out for in 2026 after an impressive debut in 2025 with a punt return touchdown and the third-best average in kick returns in the CFL.
