After a season where everything that could go wrong did, the Toronto Argonauts had no choice but to get aggressive and rebuild a roster that can rebound in 2026 under first-year head coach Mike Miller.
When you zoom in on their most notable free agent signings, one theme stands out: the secondary wasn’t good enough in 2025, and the front office clearly agrees.
Bringing back DaShaun Amos is a real statement that a reset on the back end is underway. Amos returns to Toronto after an excellent 2025 season in Hamilton, where he suited up for all 18 games and recorded 45 defensive tackles and four interceptions. This isn’t just a “familiar face” move; it’s a bet on a proven high-end CFL halfback who already knows the building, and what it takes to win multiple Grey Cups in Double Blue.
Another move that will hit Argos fans right in the nostalgia: Robert Priester returning after a year in Ottawa. He played 15 games for the Redblacks in 2025, racking up 27 tackles and two interceptions, both of which, painfully enough, came against the Argos.
Our lasting image of Priester, though, is still that Grey Cup pick-six against Winnipeg, the play that helped slam the door and fuel another Argos championship run. From an analysis angle, Priester isn’t just depth; he’s a highly versatile defensive back whose ball skills can change the math for an opposing quarterback and tilt field position in a hurry. From a reaction standpoint, bringing him back feels like an intentional attempt to recapture some of that swagger and playmaking DNA the 2025 team so obviously lacked.
Before the returns of Amos and Priester cranked the excitement to another level, fans were already buzzing from an earlier acquisition. Buckle up because Adarius Pickett, the ultimate party starter, is back in Double Blue after a couple of years in Ottawa, setting the tone for the Argos’ aggressive offseason push.
I love this signing. Pickett was a 2023 All-Star beast for the Boatmen before injury derailed him — 88 tackles, four sacks, and pure chaos. The Argos endured a nightmare season where the defence folded like a lawn chair on numerous occasions; now Miller’s got a trio of trusted vets injecting that “we’ve been here, we’ve done this” edge right out of the gate. If Pickett stays healthy, this unit doesn’t just improve; it could terrorize East Division offences and stare down the West come playoff time. Chef’s kiss.
The defensive line also got a serious boost with two high-impact additions. Johnathan Kongbo is crossing over from Edmonton, and DeWayne Hendrix, who, like Pickett, is making his triumphant return to the Argos after departing post-2023 season.
Kongbo is a six-foot-five, 270-pound disruptor who played in 16 games in 2025, where he recorded six defensive tackles and a career-high four sacks. That’s the exact type of presence that Mike Miller and Greg Quick need up front, and his Canadian passport could allow the team to make defensive end a ratio spot with 2025 first-round pick Jeremiah Ojo.
Hendrix is the ideal complement, a Grey Cup vet who excelled here in 2023 with sacks and pressures. Pairing his interior disruption with Kongbo’s motor off the edge gives new DC Greg Quick access to versatile attacks, twists, stunts, or raw rushes that the 2025’s D-line had trouble managing. This fixes the core rot: no push, no pressure, no stops delivering negative plays, fewer chunk gains, and breathing room for the secondary.
The defence has rightfully dominated the conversation and for good reason, but it’s time to pivot to the offensive moves that have quietly bolstered Toronto’s 2026 reset.
First up is running back Peyton Logan crossing over from Winnipeg. After an injury in training camp, Logan’s 2025 was limited to just three games, one carry, and -2 yards. While Toronto should have a competition in the backfield, I don’t expect him to be a feature back. Logan’s real value has always been as a dynamic return man, where he had nine returns for 186 yards. I see him as an insurance policy behind Janarion Grant, with situational value that could move him up the depth chart in the event of injury.
Receiver Andre Miller joins after two CFL seasons in Ottawa. In 2025, Miller hauled in 12 catches for 146 yards and two TDs across four games, with his 52 yards after catch (YAC) standing out. He slots perfectly into Toronto’s receiving corps as depth behind the likes of Jake Herslow and Makai Polk.
Saving the biggest for last — literally — offensive lineman Dakoda Shepley storms back to the CFL after NFL stints with the Seahawks, 49ers, and, most recently, the Cowboys, where an August training camp injury led to his release. The six-foot-five, 315-pound road-grader could feasibly play any of the five spots up front and instantly upgrades a Toronto offensive line that was borderline catastrophic in 2025. He provides renewed hope that QB Chad Kelly will have clean pockets and time to step up in his return from injury, turning last year’s panic in the pocket into sustained drives.
This feels like it could be the final puzzle piece for Mike Miller’s reset, and elite protection should result in more wins in 2026.
We close the article on a bittersweet note with two key departures of fan favourites in free agency: Dejon Brissett heading west to Calgary and Wynton McManis taking the QEW south to Hamilton.
Brissett capped a breakout 2025 with 65 catches for 907 yards and three TDs across 18 games, emerging as a vital pass-catcher for the Argos. His exit surprised many as he hit his stride, but with Jake Herslow’s extension and Makai Polk returning post-Atlanta Falcons, Toronto’s receiver room is pivoting.
Now for “The Toothpick,” Wynton McManis. His re-signing last year after a heart-to-heart with Ryan Dinwiddie had Argos fans head over heels; fast forward, and both are now gone.
This year’s departure doesn’t sting like it would have after the 2024 Grey Cup win. Toronto will miss his leadership as the vocal heartbeat of the room and a guy who never dodged my post-game interview requests — win or lose. However, the team has a rising young replacement in Isaac Darkangelo.
Ultimately, it boiled down to money; the Argos brass balked at the bill. With his young family rooted in the GTA, Hamilton made perfect football and personal sense once the Argos cut him loose.
In the end, the free agent additions have outweighed the losses and should set the foundation for an improved 2026 season, as Toronto’s new staff looks to wash away the sins of last year’s 5-13 finish.
