Hamilton Tiger-Cats left tackle Joel Figueroa ruled out vs. Montreal Alouettes

The Hamilton Tiger-Cats will be without left tackle Joel Figueroa when the team hosts the Montreal Alouettes on Friday night.

The 33-year-old joined the Ticats in free agency following a five-year stint with the B.C. Lions this past off-season. He is the league’s fourth-highest-paid offensive lineman, though it appear he’ll be out for a while after being added to the six-game injured list with a foot injury. He will be replaced at left tackle by Brandon Kemp, who has started two previous CFL games.

Franchise quarterback Bo Levi Mitchell is not expected to play due to an adductor injury, though he has been listed as a game-time decision. Matthew Shiltz will start under centre with CFL rookie Taylor Powell as his primary backup.

The Ticats are off to an 0-2 start, losing both outings by double-digit margins on the road. The club has won three of its past four home-openers.

Canadian receiver Richie Sindani will make his Hamilton debut after serving a suspension for the first two games of the year, while defensive back and return specialist Lawrence Woods III has returned from the one-game injured list.

Right guard Coulter Woodmansey has been added to the six-game injured list with a rib injury he sustained against the Toronto Argonauts and will be replaced by Dayton Black, the club’s first-round pick out of the University of Saskatchewan. Chris Van Zeyl will dress in a reserve role after being removed from the six-game injured list.

Hamilton lost the three-game regular season series between these two teams in 2022 by a margin of 2-1. The clubs met again during the first round of the postseason and the Ticats lost, dropping the East Semi-Final to Montreal by a score of 28-17. The loss snapped Hamilton’s two-year streak of qualifying for the Grey Cup.

The Alouettes (1-0) will visit the Ticats (0-2) on Friday, June 23 with kickoff slated for 7:30 p.m. EDT.

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Courtesy: Hamilton Tiger-Cats