B.C. Lions give American OL Kent Perkins early release

Photo courtesy: David Friederich/B.C. Lions

The B.C. Lions have released American offensive lineman Kent Perkins to pursue other opportunities.

The 30-year-old was scheduled to become a free agent in February but was rendered expendable when the Lions traded for former Most Outstanding Offensive Lineman, Dejon Allen, from Toronto earlier this off-season. He can now test the market early and sign with another team before the free-agent rush.

“Perkins, who’s played for us for the past three years at right tackle, has played some stretches where he’s been absolutely dominant, and then he’s played some stretches where he was very inconsistent,” Lions’ general manager Ryan Rigmaiden told the media earlier this week about the acquisition of Allen. “Consistency has been the key for us at that spot.”

Perkins first joined the Lions ahead of the 2021 season and has appeared in 67 games with the club, starting them all at right tackle. In his first campaign, he was named the team’s nominee for Most Outstanding Offensive Lineman.

Before signing with the Lions, Perkins suited up for the XFL’s St. Louis BattleHawks in 2020 and spent parts of 2017 and 2018 with the Cincinnati Bengals, twice being promoted to the active roster.

Perkins started 34 games, primarily at right guard, with the University of Texas from 2013 to 2016 and helped the Longhorns to appearances in the Alamo Bowl (2013) and Texas Bowl (2014).