Per 3downnation, these are our free agents ... basically everyone but Zach, Vaval, Peterson, Clercius, Randolph, Wallace, Pokey Wilson, MCI, Allen, T. Jones, and Leroux the longsnapper.  

Quarterback

Chris Streveler (A)

Running back

Brady Oliveira (N)

Receiver

Kody Case (A)
Nic Demski (N)
Dillon Mitchell (A)
Dalton Schoen (A)
Jerreth Sterns (A)
Keric Wheatfall (A)

OL

Stanley Bryant (A)
Tui Eli (N)
Chris Kolankowski (N)
Eric Lofton (A)
Patrick Neufeld (N)

Defensive line

Willie Jefferson (A)
Cameron Lawson (N)
Tanner Schmekel (N)
Jake Thomas (N)
James Vaughters (A)
Jamal Woods (A)

Linebacker

Tanner Cadwallader (N)
Shayne Gauthier (N)
Kyrie Wilson (A)

Defensive back

Terrell Bonds (A)
Michael Griffin II (A)
Nick Hallett (N)
Evan Holm (A)
Demerio Houston (A)
Redha Kramdi (N)
Enock Makonzo (N)
Deatrick Nichols (A)
Jamal Parker (A)

Specialist

Sergio Castillo (A)
Jamieson Sheahan (G)

Edited November 12, 2025Nov 12 by johnzo

7 hours ago, Brandon said:

Bobblehead night!

It’s not a terrible idea.

Edited 16 hours ago16 hr by Goalie

5 hours ago, johnzo said:

Also, all that game manager stuff that people hang on Nichols is unfair because his OC was always Lapo, and Lapo would turn Doug Flutie into a game manager if he got the chance.

When given the chance, he could definitely pitch...

College numbers: 12,616 passing yards (6th in NCAA history) and 96 touchdowns over 47 games

8 hours ago, johnzo said:

Also, all that game manager stuff that people hang on Nichols is unfair because his OC was always Lapo, and Lapo would turn Doug Flutie into a game manager if he got the chance.

He was a game manager when his arm was shot in his last few years with the club. Purely because he was unable to throw a 15+ yard pass. His first two years with us he was a gunslinger and was able to take chances. Truly unfortunate that his injuries derailed him.

His arm wasn't shot until he went to Ottawa. He could still make all the throws in 2019 when he last played for us.

6 minutes ago, Noeller said:

His arm wasn't shot until he went to Ottawa. He could still make all the throws in 2019 when he last played for us.

Yeah but i think the last game he played with us he got sacked ( DE landed full on him from the side) and that was the final straw for him..

7 hours ago, bb1 said:

Yeah but i think the last game he played with us he got sacked ( DE landed full on him from the side) and that was the final straw for him..

Yeah, he got injured in 2019, hence bringing in Zach and re-signing him as opposed to Nichols.

16 hours ago, wbbfan said:

Idk, wasn't his last game played here when he got booed off the field at home and whined about it in the interview after? I think that stuff impacted Nichols more than most qbs, but his wife did do a great job of helping him try to spin it.

Not his last game - that was in 2018 after getting smoked by Ottawa. He tried spinning it by saying it was a heat of the moment thing and that he was over it 10 minutes later & also said it wasn't the first time and wouldn't be the last time he got booed, .but yeah he definitely cared.

2019 was the game manager thing, with the hats, so by that point he was definitely leaning more into it than the year before. He had the club winning while not looking spectacular - a winning record goes a long way to help lessen the impact of criticism!

8 hours ago, bb1 said:

Yeah but i think the last game he played with us he got sacked ( DE landed full on him from the side) and that was the final straw for him..

Shawn Lemon. We may have been able to win in 2019 with Nichols but who knows. That one sack completely turned the franchise around.

5 minutes ago, Bubba Zanetti said:

Shawn Lemon. We may have been able to win in 2019 with Nichols but who knows. That one sack completely turned the franchise around.

It did turn the QBing around for sure. Look at Nichols record and stats in 2019 before going down, he was in MOP discussion at that point.

Look the reality is that the more time a qb spends with Paul lapolice the more they become only a game manager and get their ass kicked in the process.

Nichols was dealing in 2019...had he not got hurt I have xero doubt we don't win the Cup, especially with the defence we had. He was turned into a game Manager by Lapo and his penchant for everything flowing through Harris, but if you look back on things as soon as Nichols got his opportunity and saved Osh/Walter's bacon our offence almost immediately got a vertical game and pushed the ball well into the intermediate zone...which we rarely did up until then...What happened with Lapo and his super safe game plan was puxxling, but when he need to..Nichols could push the ball down field

If he played in the Grey Cup all he needed to do was manage the game and we win, and he always showed up in playoffs. Strev threw the TD pass in the 2019 Cup...Harris and the oline controlled the l.o.s and the Defense had Hamilton offence backpeddling and in fear all game...ZC gets all the accolades but all he did was be a game manager

1 hour ago, Booch said:

Nichols was dealing in 2019...had he not got hurt I have xero doubt we don't win the Cup, especially with the defence we had. He was turned into a game Manager by Lapo and his penchant for everything flowing through Harris, but if you look back on things as soon as Nichols got his opportunity and saved Osh/Walter's bacon our offence almost immediately got a vertical game and pushed the ball well into the intermediate zone...which we rarely did up until then...What happened with Lapo and his super safe game plan was puxxling, but when he need to..Nichols could push the ball down field

If he played in the Grey Cup all he needed to do was manage the game and we win, and he always showed up in playoffs. Strev threw the TD pass in the 2019 Cup...Harris and the oline controlled the l.o.s and the Defense had Hamilton offence backpeddling and in fear all game...ZC gets all the accolades but all he did was be a game manager

I agree. Zach did an awesome job considering he was thrown straight into the fire with us, and deserves kudos for making up for his lack of time in our system with some clutch throws down the stretch, but Nichols was firing on all cylinders that year and had he not gotten injured, and our defence plays like it did in the playoffs we win the Grey Cup...no doubt in my mind. I feel for Nichols in that regard, and that is why I actually wanted us to cut bait on Collaros and bring back Nichols. (I had no idea is shoulder was mush).

Was going to say that he wasn't the game manager people thought. We led the league in explosion plays both of his last two seasons with us. This notion that he was a game manager stems directly from him having Andrew Freaking Harris balling out and getting 25 touches a game. If that is "game management" or Lapo small ball sign me up for more. Maybe our biggest flaw last year was that we went away from feeding our stud running back the rock 20 times a game (altho in fairness BO was obviously not playing 100% healthy all season).

Edited 10 minutes ago10 min by GCn20

That 2019 playoff defense was just scary good. As dominant a D as I think we've seen. Hamilton was a pretty damned good offense that season and the Bombers D made them soil themselves.