Photo courtesy: Memphis Athletics

The Ottawa Redblacks have added five more Americans to their training camp roster, including receiver Roc Taylor and defensive backs Gavin Holmes, Quenton Meeks, Kobe Savage, and Jordan Wright.

Taylor played 43 games over four seasons at the University of Memphis (2021-24), posting 162 receptions for 2,366 yards and seven touchdowns. The six-foot-three, 215-pound target earned first-team All-AAC honours in 2024 and second-team selection in 2023, landing him an invite to the NFL Combine and an undrafted free agent contract with the Pittsburgh Steelers. He last played two games with the UFL’s Columbus Aviators, making two catches for 23 yards.

Holmes had a brief stint on the Edmonton Elks’ practice roster last season. The five-foot-eleven, 185-pound native of New Orleans, La. finished his collegiate career with two seasons at the University of Texas, where he recorded 30 tackles, 0.5 tackles for loss, and five pass knockdowns. He previously played at Wake Forest University, where he made 45 total tackles, three total tackles, 13 knockdowns, one interception, and one forced fumble.

Meeks began training camp with the Montreal Alouettes last season but was among the team’s first cuts. The six-foot-one, 209-pound native of San Diego, Calif., previously played 17 regular-season NFL games over three seasons as a member of the Jacksonville Jaguars, Los Angeles Chargers, Tennessee Titans, and New Orleans Saints, recording 10 total tackles and two pass knockdowns. The 28-year-old also played for the USFL’s Tampa Bay Bandits, as well as the St. Louis Battlehawks and Memphis Showboats of the UFL. Collegiately, he played at Stanford University, where he recorded 115 tackles, seven interceptions, and two touchdowns, earning All-Pac 12 honours.

Savage concluded his collegiate career at the University of Oregon, where he notched 64 total tackles, 2.5 tackles for loss and one pass defended in 14 games. The five-foot-11, 207-pound safety transferred from Kansas State University, where he was a two-time second-team All-Big 12 selection and amassed 115 tackles, three tackles for loss, six interceptions, and a forced fumble. He previously made stops at Tyler Junior College and Texas A&M-Commerce.

Wright finished at the University of Connecticut in 2024, registering 46 total tackles and one quarterback sack. The five-foot-10, 175-pound defender began his collegiate journey at Fullerton College, where he was all-conference at the JUCO level, before spending two years at Kansas State, registering eight total tackles and two passes defended.

The Ottawa Redblacks were the CFL’s most active team in free agency, adding players like quarterback Jake Maier, running back Greg Bell, offensive lineman Martez Ivey, defensive lineman Habakkuk Baldonado, linebacker A.J. Allen, strong-side linebacker C.J. Reavis, and defensive back Demerio Houston. The team also had a few key departures, including quarterback Dustin Crum (Montreal Alouettes), strong-side linebacker Adarius Pickett (Toronto Argonauts), and return specialist DeVonte Dedmon (Montreal Alouettes).

The Redblacks hold the first overall pick in the 2026 CFL Draft, which is scheduled for Tuesday, April 28 at 7:00 p.m. EDT. All CFL training camps are scheduled to open on May 10. The team will play its first preseason game against the Montreal Alouettes on Friday, May 22, and its first regular-season game against the Edmonton Elks on Saturday, June 6.

In 2025, Ottawa finished fourth in the East Division standings with a 4-14 record, missing the playoffs for the fifth time in the last six seasons. Ryan Dinwiddie was hired as the team’s head coach and general manager after the firing of Bob Dyce.