2026 CFL free agent rankings: running backs and fullbacks

Photo: Reuben Polansky/3DownNation. All rights reserved.

It’s time to rank the CFL’s pending running backs and fullbacks ahead of free agency.

It’s not a deep group — heck, there’s only 10 players on the list — but there are a few household names who could hit the market.

The league’s free agency communications window, often referred to as the legal tampering window, will be open from Feb. 1-8. During this time, all pending free agents will be allowed to negotiate with teams across the CFL without restrictions.

Some players will agree to terms on contracts with new teams during this time, though they can’t be signed until free agency officially gets underway on Feb. 10.

3DownNation has already ranked this year’s pending free-agent quarterbacks. Check back tomorrow for our receiver rankings.

These rankings were made based off feedback from 3DownNation contributors as well as CFL personnel people, who were granted anonymity.

Please note that “N” denotes National players (ie. Canadians), “A” denotes American players, and “G” denotes Global players.

Running backs

1) A.J. Ouellette, Saskatchewan Roughriders

You could reasonably rank the top three pending free-agent running backs in any order but we’ve got Ouellette in the top spot thanks to his pass-blocking ability. The five-foot-eight, 208-pound native of Covington, Ohio earned a pass-blocking grade of 57.7 from Pro Football Focus in 2025, the second-best grade of any running back (min. 50 attempts).

Ouellette averaged 4.9 yards per carry last year, a number that wasn’t elite, though it was also artificially lowered because he performed some short-yardage duties. The veteran’s average was an excellent 5.8 yards per carry when it mattered most in the playoffs, rushing 34 times for 196 yards and one touchdown in the West Final and Grey Cup.

2) Greg Bell, Hamilton Tiger-Cats

The native of Chula Vista, Calif. was named All-East Division this past year after making 14 regular-season starts and recording his first 1,000-yard season. Bell took full advantage of Hamilton’s top-ranked offensive line and also showed impressive versatility as an outlet receiver, making 62 catches for 426 yards and one touchdown.

The 27-year-old earned a pass-blocking grade of 22.4 from PFF in 2025, ranking last among all running backs (min. 50 attempts). Though he needs to improve as a blocker, there’s no questioning Bell’s explosiveness with the ball in his hands.

3) James Butler, B.C. Lions

The soon-to-be 31-year-old had a great season as the feature running back in Buck Pierce’s offence, rushing for 1,213 yards, catching 46 passes for 439 yards, and scoring 12 touchdowns. It was a career-high rushing total for Butler and one could argue that he played behind a worse offensive line than Ouellette and Bell.

With that said, Butler’s got more mileage than his counterparts with 1,145 touches over 72 career regular-season games. The five-foot-eight, 215-pound native of Chicago, Ill. is still highly effective, though there may be concerns from some teams about whether or not Butler will start to slow down in 2026.

Photo courtesy: Ottawa Redblacks

4) William Stanback, Ottawa Redblacks

The 31-year-old is the oldest player on this list and averaged only 4.7 yards per carry in 2025, the second-lowest mark of his seven-year career. The two-time All-CFL selection didn’t run behind an elite offensive line last season and has improved as a receiver in recent years, though it seems fair to question if he should still be an undisputed starter.

Daniel Adeboboye, who split time with Stanback in Ottawa last year, had just as much success through the air and averaged 5.5 yards per carry in the same offence. If and when Stanback gets signed, it will mark the third-straight offseason he’s changed teams.

5) Sean Thomas-Erlington, Montreal Alouettes

The native of Montreal, Que. started the first nine games of the 2025 season for his hometown team, though he was eventually replaced by Travis Theis and Stevie Scott III. Thomas-Erlington is smooth as a receiver out of the backfield but averaged only 4.4 yards per carry in 2025, the lowest mark of his eight-year career.

The Université de Montréal product is 33 and though he likely has some game left, he’s near the end of his career. The former eighth-round draft pick has rushed for 1,769 yards, caught 85 passes for 829 yards, returned 31 kickoffs for 628 yards, scored 14 touchdowns, and made 15 special teams tackles over 106 regular-season CFL games.

Fullbacks

1) Tanner Green, Edmonton Elks (N)

The 32-year-old caught a career-high five passes for 56 yards this past season while also recording six special teams tackles. The native of Lacombe, Alta., who was originally a fourth-round pick in the 2018 CFL Draft out of Concordia University, has made 68 special team tackles over 78 career regular-season games with the Elks.

Photo: Reuben Polansky/3DownNation. All rights reserved.

2) Régis Cibasu, Montreal Alouettes (N)

The former third-round CFL draft pick has played receiver at times with the Alouettes — it was his position in U Sports — but is being ranked here as a fullback. The six-foot-one, 230-pound native of Zaire, who was raised in Montreal, has caught 23 passes for 189 yards and one touchdown and made 25 special teams tackles over 88 regular-season games.

3) Félix Garand-Gauthier, Toronto Argonauts (N)

The Université Laval product has caught 20 passes for 280 yards and made 33 special teams tackles over 69 career regular-season games with the Tiger-Cats and Argonauts. Originally selected in the fifth round of the 2021 CFL Draft, Garand-Gauthier set a career-high with 10 special teams tackles with Hamilton in 2024.

4) Jacob Plamondon, Edmonton Elks (N)

The 27-year-old native of Red Deer, Alta. played along the defensive line during his collegiate career at the University of Calgary but has moved over to the offensive side of the ball at the professional level. He has been a solid special teams contributor over four seasons with the Elks, notching 22 tackles.

5) William Langlais, Calgary Stampeders (N)

The native of Hull, Que. has had an excellent career in Calgary, making 25 catches for 305 yards and two touchdowns, recording 60 special teams tackles, and winning one Grey Cup. With that said, the soon-to-be 36-year-old is unlikely to play another season, sources has told 3DownNation, though nothing is official until Langlais makes an announcement.