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The Hamilton Tiger-Cats announced Thursday that the football club has re-signed international defensive lineman Delano Johnson, and national linebackers Mitch Barnett and Geoff Hughes.
Johnson, 28, played in six regular season games and started twice at defensive tackle with the Tiger-Cats last season, registering nine defensive tackles and one quarterback sack. The 6-4, 270-pound native of Baltimore, Maryland, has accumulated 24 defensive tackles, one special teams tackle, two sacks, two forced fumbles and one fumble recovery in 18 career CFL games with Toronto (2014-15) and Hamilton. Johnson, a product of Bowie State, was signed as an undrafted free agent by the NFL’s Houston Texans in 2012 and spent the season on the team’s practice roster. He attended Houston’s training camp again in 2013 before being released.
Barnett, 23, appeared in 11 games for the Tiger-Cats last season, including his CFL debut on June 23 at Toronto. The 6-1, 192-pound native of North Vancouver, British Columbia, was selected by Hamilton in the seventh round, 59th overall, in the 2016 CFL Draft. He played 12 games in the 2015 season for the University of British Columbia, recording 101 tackles, six sacks, one forced fumble, two interceptions and three pass break ups while helping the Thunderbirds win the Vanier Cup.
Hughes, 24, suited up in 10 games with the Tiger-Cats last season, posting two special teams tackles and making his CFL debut on July 15 at Montreal. He originally signed with Hamilton as a free agent on January 14, 2016. The 6-1, 210-pound native of Regina, Saskatchewan, played in 27 games over five seasons for the University of Saskatchewan from 2011 to 2015. He posted career stats of 88 tackles (62 solo, 52 assisted), 3.5 sacks, 6.5 tackles for loss, one forced fumble and six pass knock downs with the Huskies, while being named an Academic All-Canadian in every season.