While there are some potential impact free agents still remaining on the market, the dust has mostly settled on this year’s CFL free agent frenzy.

Similar to the East Division, there now appears to be much more parity across the West Division.

General manager Ed Hervey and the Edmonton Elks made major moves, as did Kyle Walters and the Winnipeg Blue Bombers. The Calgary Stampeders and BC Lions largely stayed put, while the defending champion Saskatchewan Roughriders had multiple impact players snatched away.

Without further ado, let’s take a look at each team’s moves.

Saskatchewan Roughriders

Notable additions: DL James Vaughters, LB Josh Woods, WR/KR James Letcher Jr.

Notable subtractions: DE Malik Carney, LB A.J. Allen, NKL C.J. Reavis, QB Jake Maier, WR Joe Robustelli, DE Habakkuk Baldonado, WR Tommy Nield, WR/KR Mario Alford

Notable unsigned free agents: WR Mitchell Picton, OL Sean McEwen, OL Trevon Tate, OL Phillipe Gagnon, DE Shane Ray, LB C.J. Avery

We begin with the Roughriders, who lost big-time players left and right in free agency, though that was largely expected.

The goal of this frenzy for general manager Jeremy O’Day was about mitigating the damage, as the team had a league-leading 44 pending free agents.

Given the fact they were able to retain players like running back A.J. Ouellette, All-CFL offensive linemen Jermarcus Hardrick and Jacob Brammer, receivers Samuel Emilus and KeeSean Johnson, among many others, while also still making a couple of veteran additions on defence, it’s hard to say that it wasn’t a largely successful period for the defending champs, given the context.

BC Lions

Notable additions: LB Darnell Sankey, DT Casey Sayles, OL Isiah Cage, DB Dionte Ruffin, DB Jamal Parker, DB Marquise Bridges

Notable subtractions: OL Jarell Broxton, WR Ayden Eberhardt

Notable unsigned free agents: QB Jeremiah Masoli, OL David Foucault, DB Jalon Edwards-Cooper

The Lions have failed to reach the big dance since winning the Grey Cup in 2011, going 0-5 in the West Final and 4-10 overall in the postseason. And after another playoff blunder last season, on the surface, it was a bit of a quiet free agency.

The main moves came before the period even opened, as the team swapped in Casey Sayles for DeWayne Hendrix up front and Darnell Sankey for Micah Awe in the middle. Both veterans have received multiple-time divisional All-CFL nods and should add leadership to the defence.

Other than that, however, it was mostly bargain deals for the Lions, while the team also lost arguably the best lineman in the CFL Jarell Broxton and up-and-coming wideout Ayden Eberhardt.

After re-signing big names like James Butler and Keon Hatcher leading up the period, the team more than likely wasn’t working with a ton of money, but it still felt a bit underwhelming for a team looking to get over the hump.

Calgary Stampeders

Notable additions: WR Dejon Brissett, DB Devodric Bynum, RB Deonta McMahon

Notable subtractions: P Fraser Masin

Notable unsigned free agents: OL Joshua Coker, OL Kyle Saxelid, WR Malik Henry, QB Logan Bonner, LB Adam Bighill, LB Gary Johnson Jr., LB Justin Herdman-Reed

It was a quiet free agency in terms of both additions and subtractions for the Stampeders, though the team made a bit of a splash with the signing of receiver Dejon Brissett. After losing former first-overall pick Damien Alford to the NFL, the former Grey Cup MVP in Brissett is a pretty good Canadian replacement.

Though the team didn’t lose any impact players via free agency, defensive tackle Jaylon Hutchings and linebacker Jacob Roberts joined Alford in signing reserves/futures deals with NFL teams this off-season, as the team will seemingly be hoping their replacements to be internal.

Edmonton Elks

Notable additions: WR Austin Mack, WR Joe Robustelli, DE Malik Carney, OL Coulter Woodmansey, OL Brendan Bordner, OL Jordan Murray, QB Taylor Powell, WR Brendan O’Leary-Orange

Notable subtractions: DT Jake Ceresna, DE Jonathan Kongbo, LB Michael Brodrique, DB Devodric Bynum, OL Martez Ivey

Notable unsigned free agents: WR Arkell Smith

Hervey and the Elks were one of the busiest teams in free agency this winter, as the team is looking to build off a solid second half to the 2025 season.

Since being hired by the Elks in late 2024, Hervey has picked heavily from his former Hamilton Tiger-Cats team over the last two free-agency periods, adding six players he was with in The Hammer this period after adding three last season.

While the team did lose Jake Ceresna along the defensive line, it’s a deep group that can make up for the subtraction, not to mention that Edmonton also added one of the best pass rushers north of the border in Carney.

Offensively, the team got deeper on the offensive line with Woodmansey, Bordner, and Murray, more dynamic in the receiving core with Robustelli and Mack, who had his best season in the CFL with Cody Fajardo as his quarterback in 2023, while also adding the potential future at the QB position in Powell.

Winnipeg Blue Bombers

Notable additions: OL Jarell Broxton, DT Jake Ceresna, LB Jovan Santos-Knox, DB Jonathan Moxey, DB Deandre Lamont, WR Tim White, WR Tommy Nield

Notable subtractions: DB Demerio Houston, OL Chris Kolankowski, OL Eric Lofton, WR Keric Wheatfall, WR Jerreth Sterns, DL James Vaughters

Notable unsigned free agents: QB Chris Streveler, WR Dalton Schoen, DT Jamal Woods, LB Shayne Gauthier, DB Terrell Bonds, DB Dexter Lawson Jr.

After the team failed to make a sixth straight Grey Cup last season (as if five straight wasn’t enough), there were three positions Walters and the Bombers needed to address: wide receiver, defensive line, and cornerback.

Check, check, and check.

The team added Ceresna up front and Moxey on the back end defensively, while also bringing in American Tim White and Canadian Tommy Nield to shore up the receiver position. The cherry on top was a big one, landing arguably the best guy available in Broxton.

Among the western playoff teams, Winnipeg made the most moves, as they look to jump the rest of the division and right back into the big dance in 2026.