Hamilton Tiger-Cats sign former Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ draft pick Jose Ramirez

The Hamilton Tiger-Cats have signed American defensive lineman Jose Ramirez.

The six-foot-two, 252-pound edge rusher was originally selected 196th overall in the sixth round of the 2023 NFL Draft, and saw action in four games over two seasons with the club. He was released as part of final roster cuts ahead of the start of the 2025 season.

Ramirez began his collegiate career at the University of Arizona in 2017, before a junior college stop at Riverside City College. He returned to the Division I ranks in 2019 with Eastern Michigan University and went on to play 32 games over four seasons. The native of Lake Alfred, Fla., registered 156 total tackles, 34 tackles for loss, 20.5 sacks, seven passes defended, six forced fumbles and one fumble recovery. He was named the Mid-American Conference’s Defensive Player of the Year as a super senior in 2022 and sits second all-time in program history for sacks.

In a corresponding move, the Ticats have released American offensive lineman Joey Lombard from the practice roster.

The Hamilton Tiger-Cats (9-5) will visit the Winnipeg Blue Bombers (7-7) at Princess Auto Stadium on Saturday afternoon with kickoff slated for 3:00 p.m. EDT. The Tiger-Cats defeated the Edmonton Elks last week with a walk-off field goal, while the Blue Bombers bested the Ottawa Redblacks despite completing only three passes.

The weather forecast in Winnipeg calls for a high of 22 degrees with sunny conditions. The game will be broadcast on TSN and CTV in Canada and CFL+ internationally. Radio listeners can tune-in on the Ticats Audio Network and CJOB 680 in Winnipeg.