Tuesday is the Big Day: Here’s what Steve Milton anticipates on the first official day of Free Agency.

What’s the architecture of the 2025 Tiger-Cats going to look like?

Well, there are only a few more hours until we get a good look at a significant part of the blueprints. The CFL starter’s pistol, the opening of full free agency, goes off Tuesday at noon.

From advance hints—the non-stop league rumour mill, a large number of important players (including quarterbacks) still under Ticat contract from last year, the addition of impact outside receiver Drew Wolitarsky, the re-signing of potential free agents like Kiondré Smith, Tyler Ternowski, Ante Litre, Trevor Hoyte and Jonathan Moxey, and numerous signings of first-ear CFLers, especially on defence, who played south of the border—the Ticats seem committed to a number of principles.

They will likely be stressing an improvement to a defence that fell short of expectations; they want to fortify and deepen Canadian talent at the starting positions; they want to increase the potency of their already-dynamic offensive capabilities; they want to start this year on special teams the way they finished last year, and improve there too.

And—it’s worth stressing—they want to add championship and big-game experience to complement and enhance the club on and off the field.

Because CFL football roster-building has more than one wall, there is also more than one cornerstone.

While the relative impact can vary from year-to-year and team-to-team, returning players, Canadian and Global drafts, trades, and new arrivals from colleges and other leagues all have their important load-bearing roles.

But in the theatre of the modern CFL, with its off-season roster fluidity, February’s free agency period has taken on marquee status.

Given all of that, from my seat high up in the stadium’s press box, this is what I anticipate from the early part of free agency. The football ops staff has been working brutally long hours, especially during last week’s “communication window” which allows CFL teams to talk to and make offers to free agents from the other eight teams. But despite plenty of unauthorized reports that are out there, teams are not actually permitted to make any of those potential deals public.

So this is my personal view, only, of what I expect to see, beginning as early as noon tomorrow.

*A laser-like focus on players who’ve been in and/or won the Grey Cup. And some who’ve been in the biggest U.S. bowl games. The accumulated knowledge from experiencing winning can be contagious.
*Proven and promising pass rusher(s) on the defensive line. More effective pressure—turning rushes into hurries and hurries into sacks—is clearly required there.

*Explosive game-breaking receiving to add to Tim White and the expected continued growth of Shemar Bridges, Jevoni Robinson, Smith, Ternowski and Litre. Free agent Josh Johnson, who caught 18 passes for the Bombers last year, has already been signed to thicken the mix, but anticipate more.

*League-hardened talent on the field (wide) side of the defensive backfield; which includes defensive half, cornerback and SAM linebacker. There are currently openings there that can come from free agency, from within, or from among all the newcomers recruited from the U.S. The boundary (short) side seems firm with Jamal Peters returning at corner and Destin Talbert ascending into a reliable boundary halfback, working with hard-hitting Canadian safety Stavros Katsantonis, who is an established starter.

*The signing of an impact Canadian offensive lineman. The Ticats’ offensive line is one of their core strengths, especially in Canadian starting and backup strength through the middle three positions. It can’t be made official yet but it’s no secret that all-star centre David Beard, the only free agent in that group, is almost certain to head closer to home after two-and-a-half superb seasons here. The Ticats should add a proven homebrew who can step right into one of the three middle spots and excel. That could be at centre or, more likely, they could sign an impact guard, which would allow talented Coulter Woodmansey to shift to his left to centre. Additionally, they’ve also been developing quick-learning 2024 draft choice Nate Dumoulin Duguay, who can play a lot of different positions, got into 11 games as a rookie and will surely receive lots of reps during training camp and exhibition games.