It is still early during the free agency period for 2026 in the CFL, but on the first official day of signing free agents, the Tiger-Cats have made an effort to upgrade their special teams. Last week, the Tiger-Cats reached agreements with National wide receiver Tyson Middlemost and National defensive end Kene Onyeka, and today they were both officially signed. Middlemost and Onyeka were both signed by the Tiger-Cats due to their potential to play active roles on special teams.

In addition to signing Middlemost and Onyeka, the Tiger-Cats also signed Global punter Fraser Masin just before the official start of the free agency period. However, after the period, Hamilton continued to add players who could become key special-teams’ weapons. The next special-teams’ player that the Hamilton Tiger-Cats have chosen to sign on the first day of free agency is return specialist Mario Alford.

During Mario Alford’s seven-season CFL career, the American wide receiver has primarily been a kick and punt return specialist. Alford started his CFL career with the Toronto Argonauts in 2018, but the Argonauts struggled to find a role for him due to his lack of size. However, despite his 5’8″ and 180-pound frame, Alford did catch 7 passes for 57 yards and 8 kick returns for 177 yards. In addition, Alford made up for his lack of size as a kick returner with his elite speed and quickness, which made him a dangerous weapon in the open field.

In 2019, Alford was signed by the Montreal Alouettes, and while he did catch 1 pass for 14 yards during his career in Montreal, he returned 22 kicks for 437 yards and 26 punts for 496yards. In addition, Alford returned 3 punts for touchdowns for Montreal. During the 2022 season, Alford was released by the Alouettes and then signed by the Saskatchewan Roughriders.

Alford spent four seasons with the Roughriders, playing in Saskatchewan from 2022 until he won a Grey Cup with the Team in 2025. During that time, Alford played in 61 games and returned 256 punts for 2,787 yards, along with 4 punt-return touchdowns. In addition, Alford also returned 165 kicks for 4,124 yards and 4 additional returns for touchdowns.

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