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The Hamilton Tiger-Cats announced Thursday that the football club has signed five international free agents on offence, including running backs Alex Green and Cierre Wood, wide receivers Nathan Palmer and Franky Okafor, and offensive lineman Malcolm Bunche.
Green, 28, appeared in 29 National Football League games (four starts) with the Green Bay Packers (2011-12) and New York Jets (2013), registering 510 rushing yards on 149 attempts, and adding 21 receptions for 139 yards. The 6-2, 220-pound native of Portland, Oregon, was originally selected by the Packers in the third round, 96th overall, in the 2011 NFL Draft. Prior to turning pro, he played 27 games over two seasons at the University of Hawaii (2009-10), posting 232 carries for 1,652 yards and 22 touchdowns, and hauling in 38 catches for 461 yards and two receiving touchdowns. In his senior year, Green was named an honourable mention All-American by SI.com and was selected as a second-team all-WAC after tying the Warriors single-season school record in rushing touchdowns (18) and posting the second highest rushing yardage single-season total (1,199) in school history.
Wood, 26, has appeared in five NFL games throughout his career, including two with the Buffalo Bills in 2015 and three with the Houston Texans in 2013, totaling five carries for 12 yards. The 5-11, 226-pound native of Bloomington, California, was originally signed as an undrafted free agent by Houston in 2013 and has also spent time in the NFL with the New England Patriots, Baltimore Ravens and Seattle Seahawks. From 2009 to 2012, Wood played 37 games at the University of Notre Dame for the Fighting Irish, recording 450 carries for 2,447 yards and 16 touchdowns, while adding 52 receptions for 384 yards and two receiving touchdowns.
Palmer, 27, has spent the last five seasons in the NFL with numerous teams, most recently attending training camp with the Oakland Raiders in 2016. His lone game action came in 2012 when the 5-11, 200-pound native of Elkhart, Indiana, suited up in five games and notched one reception for the Indianapolis Colts. Palmer’s NFL resume also includes stints with the Miami Dolphins, Denver Broncos, New England Patriots, Chicago Bears and San Francisco 49ers, who originally signed the Northern Illinois product as an undrafted free agent in 2012.
Okafor, 23, attended training camp with the NFL’s Arizona Cardinals in 2016 after signing with the team as an undrafted free agent on July 30. He was released by the Cardinals on August 30. The 6-3, 190-pound native of Arlington, Texas, had 93 receptions for 1,350 yards and 10 touchdowns in 22 games at Southeastern Oklahoma State over two seasons (2014-15). He led the team with 841 receiving yards and eight touchdowns in his senior year in 2015.
Bunche, 25, attended training camp with the NFL’s Philadelphia Eagles last season before being released on August 14. He originally signed with the Eagles as an undrafted free agent in 2015 and spent the season on team’s practice roster. The 6-6, 320-pound native of Newark, Delaware, played 12 games and starting nine times at both tackle and guard for the UCLA Bruins in 2014. He spent the previous four years (2010-13) at the University of Miami, appearing in 31 games and making 14 starts at left tackle with the Hurricanes.