![\"\"\/](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/indicator-big.gif\")
<\/p>\nBut not only have the three been reunited on the field, they\u2019ve been able to re-establish their friendship off it.<\/p>\n
\t<\/p>\n
\u201cOur chemistry off the field is as important as it is on the field,\u201d McFadden said. \u201cBeing friends and doing things together outside of football has just been great also.\u201d<\/p>\n
The six-foot, 185-pound Amos \u2014 a three-time Grey Cup champion \u2014 had 45 tackles and four interceptions last season with Hamilton (11-7). The Ticats finished atop the East standings before dropping a 19-16 decision to Montreal in the division final at Hamilton Stadium.<\/p>\n
The five-foot-eight 180-pound Priester appeared in 15 regular-season games with Ottawa (4-14, missed CFL playoffs), registering 27 tackles, three special-teams tackles, two interceptions and a forced fumble.<\/p>\n
The six-foot-two, 198-pound McFadden was a Divisional All-CFL team selection last season after registering career highs in tackles (43) and interceptions (six), the latter leaving him tied for the league lead.<\/p>\n
But the \u201925 campaign was a tough one for Toronto (5-13, missed CFL playoffs). The Argos\u2019 defence allowed the most offensive touchdowns (54), offensive points per game (28.8), passing TDs (35), yards per play (7.07) and 30-plus yard catches (39) while standing eighth against the run (105.7 yards per game).<\/p>\n
Toronto finished tied with Calgary for most defensive return TDs (five) and was fourth in sacks (41). But opposing offences drove for touchdowns a league-high 22.6 per cent of time.<\/p>\n
Also returning to Toronto is linebacker Adarius Pickett, who was the East Division\u2019s outstanding defensive player in \u201823 while with the Argos before heading to Ottawa. He joins Canadian linebacker Cameron Judge, who last year posted a team-high 83 tackles (79 defensive, four special teams), three sacks, two interceptions, two forced fumbles and a TD.<\/p>\n
Both Amos and Priester are not only veteran leaders but have the experience and savvy that provide cornerbacks like McFadden, 29, and Benjie Franklin with the comfort of knowing both halfbacks will be where they\u2019re supposed to be. That allows McFadden and Co. to concentrate fully on their jobs.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s almost immeasurable how much it means,\u201d Toronto head coach Mike Miller said of the return of Amos and Priester. \u201cWe talk about being accountable, discipline, respect, trust and passion and they\u2019re all of those and then some.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey\u2019re both very physical football players, great communicators (and) understand the defence but more so the adjustments you must make in-play and then on the sidelines and the way they communicate. Extremely valuable and we\u2019re extremely blessed to have them.\u201d<\/p>\n
Miller added both veterans also embrace being a mentor to younger players.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe thing they do, and what we ask of our veteran leaders, is they\u2019re bringing guys with them,\u201d Miller said. \u201cYou can see it with the young guys that are working with them, the other rookies and guys from the U.S. as they continue to learn the Canadian game.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey\u2019re kind of like captains, extra assistants out there. When they come to the sideline, it\u2019s just the way how we want to go about our business, being professional and having that diligence.\u201d<\/p>\n
Greg Quick is in his first season as Toronto\u2019s defensive co-ordinator after two previous stints as its linebacker coach (2010-11, 2018). Former CFL defensive back Jovon Johnson \u2014 the league\u2019s top defensive player in 2011 with Winnipeg \u2014 is in his first year as Toronto\u2019s secondary coach, but McFadden said having a former player in that role is beneficial.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt helps a lot,\u201d said McFadden, who played collegiately at Florida State. \u201cHe has seen the game and knows how to coach us as far as technique and what we see on the field in regards to offensive formations and reading routes.\u201d<\/p>\n
Hope always springs eternal during training camp, but having Amos and Priester back in the fold has definitely buoyed McFadden\u2019s confidence for 2026.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re getting better day by day, improving our chemistry on and off the field,\u201d he said. \u201cI feel like this is going to be one year to remember.\u201d<\/p>\n
This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 26, 2026.<\/p>\n
Dan Ralph, The Canadian Press<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"But not only have the three been reunited on the field, they\u2019ve been able to re-establish their friendship…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":697209,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[437],"tags":[49,48,521,522,520,82],"class_list":["post-697208","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-cfl","tag-ca","tag-canada","tag-canadian-football-league","tag-canadianfootballleague","tag-cfl","tag-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/697208","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=697208"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/697208\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/697209"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=697208"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=697208"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=697208"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}