Photo courtesy: David Friederich/B.C. Lions
Nathan Rourke and the B.C. Lions won’t have the benefit of the CFL’s top blindside protector for Saturday’s meeting with the Calgary Stampeders.
Left tackle Jarell Broxton has been placed on the one-game injured list after being limited in practice by an arm injury. The 32-year-old missed the team’s first meeting with Calgary two weeks ago with a foot injury and returned last week against Toronto, but was unable to finish the game.
Broxton is the top pass-blocking offensive tackle in the CFL, according to Pro Football Focus. He has allowed just eight pressures all season at a rate of 1.6 percent.
Left guard Kory Woodruff will kick out to tackle in the short term, while American Brandon Yates will make his CFL debut at guard after spending the past three weeks on the practice roster. Despite the shuffle, B.C. will dress one fewer lineman than last week, with Canadian Alex Berwick returning to the practice roster.
The Lions will get one key player back in Canadian receiver Jevon Cottoy, who has caught 44 passes for 534 yards and five touchdowns this season. Defensive tackles DeWayne Hendrix and Tibo Debaillie will both re-enter the lineup, with Tomasi Laulile out to rest a hip injury.
Hayden Harris, the 11th overall pick in the 2025 CFL Draft, will make his debut as a depth piece at defensive end after being signed earlier this week. Fellow Canadian defensive lineman Anthony Bennett and long snapper Cam Foran have been demoted to the practice roster.
The B.C. Lions (8-7) will host the Calgary Stampeders (8-6) at BC Place Stadium on Saturday, October 4 with kickoff slated for 7:00 p.m. EDT. The Stampeders suffered a one sided loss to the Montreal Alouettes this past week, while the Lions came away with a close win over the Toronto Argonauts.
The game will be broadcast on TSN in Canada and CFL+ internationally. Radio listeners can tune-in on 770 CHQR in Calgary and 730 CKNW in Vancouver.
Graphic courtesy: B.C. Lions