The Ottawa Redblacks have signed four players to their practice roster, including American defensive back Bentlee Sanders.
The five-foot-nine, 187-pound defender was released by the Calgary Stampeders earlier this month after starting the season on the one-game injured list, then being demoted to the practice roster.
The 26-year-old native of Tampa, Fla. played 16 regular-season games for the Stampeders in 2024, recording 45 defensive tackles, one interception, and two forced fumbles. He made 12 starts at safety — the same position at which the Redblacks suffered an injury to Bennett Williams this past week.
Ottawa’s other additions include Canadian linebacker Zachary Philion, Canadian defensive back Tysen-Otis Copeland, and American defensive back Cam Lockridge.
Philion was originally selected by the Redblacks in the seventh round of the 2024 CFL Draft out of Concordia University. The six-foot-one, 221-pound defender spent some time on Ottawa’s practice roster but was cut. He later played three regular-season games with the Saskatchewan Roughriders as a rookie, recording one special teams tackle. The 25-year is the son of longtime CFL defensive lineman Ed Philion.
Copeland was a fourth-round pick of the Montreal Alouettes in the 2022 CFL Draft out of the Université de Montréal. The six-foot, 198-pound native of Montreal, Que. played 11 regular-season games over two seasons with the Alouettes, recording six special teams tackles and winning a Grey Cup in 2023. The 27-year-old was released by his hometown team in February and remained a free agent until the Redblacks came calling.
Lockridge attended training camp with the Hamilton Tiger-Cats this year but didn’t make the team’s final roster. The six-foot, 182-pound native of Tampa, Fla. played collegiately at Fresno State University where he recorded 91 total tackles, six tackles for loss, 11 interceptions, 17 pass knockdowns, one sack, one forced fumble, and one fumble recover over three seasons.
The Ottawa Redblacks (3-7) will host the Edmonton Elks (3-6) on Friday, August 22 with kickoff slated for 7:30 p.m. EDT.
