After their streak of 18 consecutive postseason appearances was snapped in 2024, the Calgary Stampeders reloaded and looked to return to the playoffs in 2025.

The restocking of the shelves worked tremendously.

With a largely overhauled roster, led by quarterback Vernon Adams Jr., Calgary finished with an 11-7 record – those 11 wins matched the Stamps’ win total from the past two seasons combined – and returned to the playoffs.

Now, after losing impact defenders in defensive tackle Jaylon Hutchings and linebacker Jacob Roberts, as well as former first-overall pick in receiver Damien Alford to the NFL, general manager and head coach Dave Dickenson will look to replace those players in hopes of helping Calgary make their 20th playoff appearance in 21 years.

The Free Agency Communication Window, in which teams can openly speak with any clubs pending free agents, opens Feb.1 at 12 p.m. ET and closes Feb.8 at 12 p.m. ET. The official CFL free agency period opens Feb.10 at 12 p.m. ET

Pending Free Agents

* = Canadian

QB Logan Bonner

FB William Langlais*

SB Malik Henry

SB Dominique Rhymes

OT Joshua Coker

OG Kyle Saxelid*

DE Lorenzo Mauldin IV

DT/DE Daniel Joseph*

NKL Derrick Moncrief

LB Adam Bighill

LB Kyle Wilson

LB Gary Johnson Jr.

LB Justin Herdman-Reed*

NKL/S Bailey Devine-Scott

CB/HB Godfrey Onyeka*

Calgary’s 15 pending free agents remaining is on the lower end of teams, but the Stampeders have some impact players that appear on this list.

Slotback Dominique Rhymes, offensive tackle Joshua Coker, defensive end Lorenzo Mauldin IV, and nickel Derrick Moncrief should be atop Dickenson’s docket, while defenders Kyle Wilson, Bailey Devine-Scott, and Canadian Godfrey Onyeka all got significant snaps last season.

Also of note, per the CFL transactions wire, the Stampeders this off-season presumably restructured deals with veterans in Adams, receiver Reggie Begelton, and defenders Folarin Orimolade and Damon Webb to free up money to continue to add.

Offence

Calgary Stampeders Offence

While Adams added dynamism and downfield throwing ability that the Stampeders have lacked in recent years, the backbone of the offence was built around the run game, and with offensive coordinator Pat DelMonaco having coached offensive lines for over a decade, this shouldn’t come as a surprise.

DelMonaco’s offence ran the highest percentage of run plays last season at just over 40 per cent while averaging 126.7 rushing yards per game (first).

CFL teams’ pass play percentage vs run play percentage in 2025:

Toronto – 77.3% / 22.8%
Hamilton – 68.9% / 31.1%
Ottawa – 68.7% / 31.3%
Montreal – 67.2% / 32.8%
BC – 66.8% / 33.2%
Edmonton – 65.3% / 34.7%
Saskatchewan – 62.1% / 37.9%
Winnipeg – 60.6% / 39.4%
Calgary – 59.7% /…

— Coty Wiles (@CotyWilesSports) January 2, 2026

Calgary’s run game was mostly power-oriented and between the tackles. It was a physical, pounding style, and there was no better running back for that than Dedrick Mills.

The 29-year-old Mills led the CFL in rushing yards by far (1,409), rushing touchdowns (11), and was second in yards per carry among qualified backs (5.6) despite leading the league in carries (250). Mills also led in rush yards after contact (877) and was second in missed tackles forced (51). To put into context just how dominant Calgary’s run game was, Mills’ 1,409 yards was the second highest total since 2013, when former Stampeders running back and Canadian Jon Cornish had more than 1,800 yards.

Canadian and 2025 sixth round pick Ludovick Choquette also flashed in limited work as the backup. The 24-year-old only got 40 carries, but he was efficient, finishing the year with 237 yards and one touchdown, while leading the CFL in yards per carry among running backs at 5.9 (min 40 carries).

The offensive line, of course, was a big reason for the success on the ground as well.

Calgary is deep across the line, but especially in the interior. The threesome of left guard Zack Williams, rookie centre Christopher Fortin, and right guard Christy Nkanu were fantastic in the run game. Especially Fortin, who stepped in for starting centre Bryce Bell after he suffered a season ending shoulder injury in Week 2, and went on to be the team’s nominee for most outstanding rookie.

Bell is also back on a one-year deal and presumably fully healthy. He has made starts at tackle, guard, and centre, however, so it remains to be seen where he will slot in. He could even kick out to the outside, as right tackle Joshua Coker, who is arguably the most talented player on Calgary’s pending free agent list, remains unsigned.

A criminally underrated player, Coker is up there with the elite of the elite in terms of pass protection. Among tackles who have over 600 pass block snaps over the past two seasons, the 28-year-old’s 2.9 pressure rate allowed only barely sits behind All-CFL tackles Jarrell Broxton (2.7) and Jermarcus Hardrick (2.8).

Another option at right tackle should Coker depart is Preston Nichols. The 26-year-old only allowed six pressures on 174 pass blocking snaps towards the end of the year when Coker went down with injury.

Overall, it’s a physical, deep group, and even if Coker doesn’t re-sign, it is still one of the best units in the CFL.

As for the passing attack, Adams’ downfield throwing ability and versatile receivers pair nicely with that mauling run game. This scatter plot showcases a quarterback’s risk factor and effectiveness using Pro Football Focus’ “Turnover-worthy play” and “Big Time Throw” percentages.

I charted #CFL QBs based on PFF’s Big Time Throw % and Turnover Worthy Play % to visualize how each QB impacted their team in 2025

The bottom right quadrant is where you want to be pic.twitter.com/sdMYnuXspi

— Coty Wiles (@CotyWilesSports) December 17, 2025

While Adams did have some of the highest number of turnover-worthy plays – something that Adams has struggled with throughout his career – he also made some of the most big-time throws. Going from a game manager in Jake Maier to Adams’ “gunslinging” style was a pretty drastic change, but one that paid off.

As for his receivers, Dickenson has done a lot of work already. Heading into the off-season, everyone but slotback Reggie Begelton – who suffered a fractured leg in Week 2 and missed the rest of the season – and Canadian Jalen Philpot needed a contract. The other impact wideout with a deal, Damien Alford, opted out of his deal (which any CFL player can do) to pursue an NFL opportunity with the New Orleans Saints.

Canadian Clark Barnes and Americans Tevin Jones and Erik Brooks have since been brought back, all offering different abilities when it comes to yards after the catch and areas of the field they work in. The team has also brought in numerous American receivers, and with help needed elsewhere on the roster, particularly on defence, it will be interesting to see if American Dominique Rhymes is back once free agency begins.

Defence

Calgary Stampeders defence

Defensively, the biggest re-signing for the team happened in recent days, with the Stampeders locking in edge Clarence Hicks for three years.

The 27-year-old broke out in 2025, finishing the year with 12 sacks (third), 65 pressures (third), and a 14.8 pressure rate (second), leading to him garnering NFL interest this cycle. His explosion off the ball is game changing, and with edge Folarin Orimolade more than likely not being ready for opening day after tearing his Achilles in September and Hutchings signing in the NFL, getting Hicks back was almost essential.

The next step on the defensive line will be trying to replace those other two spots, and it could be just simply re-signing the guy they traded a 2026 fourth-round pick for last season in Lorenzo Mauldin IV.

While the 33-year-old hasn’t quite reached the heights from his 17-sack, Most Outstanding Defensive Player season in 2022 (only 15 sacks combined over the past three seasons), he is still one of the better pass rushers north of the border.

As for defensive tackle, Charles Wiley is someone who could help fill the void if no one else is brought in. Hutchings’ super power was his ability to force pressure and generate sacks from the interior, Wiley can do similar things, He has flashed a pass rusher in his 800 or so snaps over the past two seasons.

At linebacker, a similar question arises to that of Hutchings, as the team looks to replace weak-side linebacker Jacob Roberts after joining Hutchings with the Vikings.

Unless Dickenson decides to go shopping, which is possible and maybe even likely, recently re-signed local product Micah Teitz seems to be the guy. The 29-year-old has played a significant amount of starting snaps throughout his career, with his value coming as a run defender.

In the middle, the team also extended Marquel Lee, like Teitz, to a one-year deal. The 30-year-old won the job out of camp in 2025 before a bicep injury limited him to just six games. More than likely the 6-foot-3, 235-pound backer will slot in at MAC once again.

The Stamps will need to figure out nickel, however, as both starter Derrick Moncrief Jr. and backup Bailey Devine-Scott are pending free agents. Most starting nickel spots are filled around the league, and with the 32-year-old, well-rounded Moncrief arguably having the best season of his career in 2025 in defensive coordinator Bob Slowik’s system, a reunion would make a lot of sense.

Similiar questions in the secondary aren’t there, however, as after completely changing the back end last off-season every impact player returns.

The biggest addition last year was safety Damon Webb, as the 30-year-old does everything and does it well. The two-time divisional All-CFL member missed the final three games of the regular season and the team’s lone playoff game with a pectoral injury, but will presumably be good to go for 2026.

The other Americans in corner Anthony Johnson and halfbacks Sheldon Arnold and Jaydon Grant also remain under contract, with the latter in Grant standing out as he was more than solid in coverage, snagging three picks.

The breakout star in the secondary was Canadian Adrian Greene, who after leaving BC and making the switch from safety to corner, was great. In only 13 games, the 26-year-old had career highs across the board, logging six interceptions (tied for first in the CFL while two were returned for touchdowns) and 39 tackles.

Overall, in Slowik’s first year as Calgary’s defensive coordinator, he completely turned around Calgary’s defence, creating a more downhill, physical, and event-creating defence.

Stampeders 2025 defensive stats:

Points allowed: 23.1 (second)

Net offence allowed: 366.4 (seventh)

Rushing yards allowed: 101.2 (fourth)

Average yards per play allowed: 6.44 (third)

Turnovers forced: 42 (second)

Tackles for loss: 39 (first)

Stampeders 2024 defensive stats:

Points allowed: 29.3 (eighth)

Net offence allowed: 381.2 (eighth)

Rushing yards allowed: 125.6 (ninth)

Average yards per play allowed: 7.13 (eighth)

Turnovers forced: 21 (ninth)

Tackles for loss: 24 (ninth)

The team bent but didn’t break, allowing the second lowest percentage of opponent drives to result in touchdowns (15.6 per cent) despite allowing the seventh most net offence per game.

One thing that will have to be cleaned up is the big plays, as the team allowed the second most north of the border (49). Despite those, Calgary still finished with the third best average yards per play allowed.

Limiting the explosives next season would be big in helping this unit in taking the next step, however that is addressed.