he Hamilton Tiger-Cats personnel department seems to be working hard to prepare their salary cap to have flexibility during the free agency period that starts on Tuesday, February 10th. Recently, the Tiger-Cats recommitted to quarterback Bo Levi Mitchell, cornerback Jamal Peters, safety Stavros Katsantonis, and offensive lineman Brandon Revenberg to avoid losing them as free agents. On the other hand, the Tiger-Cats also seem to be making hard decisions to move on from veteran CFL players who carry a heavy weight on their salary cap.
One of those salary cap casualties is American defensive tackle Casey Sayles. During the last three seasons, Sayles has played in 51 regular-season games for Hamilton at defensive tackle, and he was under contract for the 2026 season. Sayles is coming off a 2025 season where he played in 17 regular-season games and recorded 35 defensive tackles and 4.0 quarterback sacks. Despite these solid statistical performances, the Tiger-Cats made the decision to move on from Sayles, likely due to the impact he makes on the salary cap.
Tiger-Cats Sign Defensive Back Kaleb Ford-Dement
In addition to making hard decisions about veteran players before free agency begins, Hamilton is also continuing to sign players who could have the potential to make an impact on the field. According to the CFL Transactions list, the most recent player to sign with the Tiger-Cats is American defensive back Kaleb Ford-Dement. Ford-Dement is the latest player to be resigned to evaluate during the rookie mini-camp before the official start of training camp.
The 5’11”, 178-pound defensive back Ford-Dement comes to the CFL after spending time with the New Orleans Saints during the 2024 NFL season. Prior to signing with the Saints, Ford-Dement played college football at Old Dominion University in 2019, Washington State University from 2021 to 2022, and Texas State University in 2023. While playing for the Bobcats in 2023, Ford-Dement played in 13 games and registered 21 solo tackles, 1 assist, 1.0 quarterback sack, and 3 interceptions.
Hamilton Releases WR Wooden and Punter Constantinou
The Hamilton Tiger-Cats have recently released American wide receiver Isaiah Wooden and Global punter Nik Constantinou. Both players have recently been invited to work out for several NFL teams, and both have been released to pursue NFL offers. It is expected that both players will be signed by an NFL team, but it is unclear when that will occur; however, it shows that Hamilton is committed to allowing their players to pursue NFL opportunities when it is a possibility.
Wide receiver Isaiah Wooden played in 14 games during the 2025 CFL season, but he only caught 1 pass for 10 yards. Despite those small contributions to the Tiger-Cats’ offensive production, Wooden was invited to workouts by the New York Jets, New Orleans Saints, Cleveland Browns, Denver Broncos, and Atlanta Falcons. Hamilton released Wooden with the understanding that he would be signed by one of these NFL teams.
Global punter Nik Constantinou also attracted a significant amount of attention from NFL teams after the CFL season. Recently, Constantinou worked out with the Cleveland Browns, New Orleans Saints, and the Minnesota Vikings. The Cleveland Browns are expected to be the team that signs Constantinou. Before coming to the CFL, Constantinou spent time with the Denver Broncos, Baltimore Ravens, and Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
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