The Hamilton Tiger-Cats have re-signed veteran Canadian running back Johnny Augustine for the 2026 season.
The 32-year-old native of Welland, Ont., appeared in 17 games last season, his first as a member of the Ticats. He recorded 61 carries for 242 yards, 12 receptions for 134 yards, and one special teams tackle.
Augustine has appeared in 110 career CFL games, primarily with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers, rushing 283 times for 1,512 yards and three touchdowns, catching 29 passes for 303 yards and a major, and adding 23 special teams tackles. The five-foot-eight, 202-pound product of the University of Guelph had brief stints with the Edmonton Elks and Saskatchewan Roughriders after going undrafted in 2017, before finding a home in Winnipeg and contributing to two Grey Cup victories.
The Ticats have also brought back a trio of defensive backs, re-signing Americans Zamari Walton and Cameron Bergeron, as well as Canadian Jake Nitychoruk.
Walton appeared in two games for the Ticats as a rookie, registering seven defensive tackles, before finishing the year on the practice roster. The six-foot-three, 185-pound corner concluded his collegiate career at the University of Mississippi in 2023, registering 38 total tackles, 3.5 tackles for loss, two interceptions, nine passes defended, and one forced fumble in 13 games. He transferred from Georgia Tech, where he played 48 games over five seasons, posting 130 total tackles, 2.5 tackles for loss, three interceptions, one sack, and 20 passes defended.
Bergeron had a brief stint with the Tiger-Cats as part of the practice roster expansion at the end of the 2025 season. The six-foot, 190-pound native of Albany, Georgia played his collegiate career at Duke University, where he appeared in 46 games and registered 100 tackles, 9.5 tackles for loss, 4.5 sacks, one interception, three passes defended, three forced fumbles, and two fumble recoveries.
Nitychoruk was taken with the 57th overall pick in the seventh round of the 2025 CFL Draft by the Ticats but was released following training camp. The six-foot-four, 210-pound prospect appeared in 27 games over four seasons at the University of Manitoba, compiling 54 tackles, seven pass breakups, one forced fumble, one fumble recovery, one tackle for loss, and one blocked kick. The Winnipeg native most recently suited up for Team Canada in the Gridiron Nations Championship against Italy and Germany.
The Hamilton Tiger-Cats finished first in the East Division standings in 2025 with an 11-7 record, though the team lost the East Final to the Montreal Alouettes. Bo Levi Mitchell led the CFL with 5,296 passing yards, 36 touchdowns, and 11 interceptions after starting all 18 regular-season games, earning the East Division’s nomination for Most Outstanding Player.
The Tiger-Cats ranked third in net offence, eighth in net defence, and first with a turnover differential of plus-ten. The club’s leading rusher was Greg Bell with 1,038 yards, the leading receiver was Kenny Lawler with 1,443 yards, and the leading tackler was Stavros Katsantonis with 69 tackles. Hamilton ranked fourth in attendance with average crowds of 22,858, which was a 3.9 percent increase from the previous year.
