The clock struck noon ET on February 10 and shortly after, the flood of official announcements poured into our inboxes and across our timelines.
As is usual in the CFL, Free Agency is a flurry of activity for all teams in the league, as they look to reel in new talent from the open waters to build their rosters for the upcoming season.
2026 CFL FREE AGENCY
» CFL Free Agent Tracker: Follow every move here
» A team-by-team look at 2026 CFL Free Agency
» REDBLACKS sign defensive back C.J. Reavis to one-year contract
» Bombers sign offensive lineman Jarell Broxton, receiver Tommy Nield
» More 2026 Free Agency news and analysis
Ahead of the market opening, there were already some high-impact new additions across the country, including some that weren’t pending free agents. Tre Ford and Wynton McManis in Hamilton, Austin Mack in Edmonton, James Letcher Jr. in Saskatchewan and DeVonte Dedmon in Montreal were just some of the stars that will wear new threads in 2026.
With the book almost closed on Day 1 of Free Agency, here are three signings from Tuesday that will make an impact on their new teams.
JARELL BROXTON | WINNIPEG BLUE BOMBERS
Jarell Broxton was ranked No. 14 on CFL.ca’s top 30 pending free agents list and provides an immediate upgrade to the Winnipeg Blue Bombers’ pass protection.
Broxton was part of an offensive line in BC that allowed the fewest sacks in 2025 and, according to PFF, the tackle was the highest-graded offensive lineman at protecting the quarterback with a 81.2 pass protection grade.
Keeping Zach Collaros upright will be imperative for the Bombers in 2026 after surrendering 37 sacks last year and adding Broxton should help significantly.
AYDEN EBERHARDT | OTTAWA REDBLACKS
Though the REDBLACKS were extremely active on Tuesday, signing a ton of free agents, there will only be two I’ll focus on on this list. The first is receiver Ayden Eberhardt, who signed a two-year deal with Ottawa on the opening day of free agency.
Eberhardt just started to break through with the BC Lions in 2025, his third season in the CFL. He hit career-highs in yards (863), touchdowns (four) and catches (45), but it was his big play ability that set him apart.
The 27-year-old receiver averaged 19.2 yards per catch, good for second in the CFL among starting pass-catchers. Dru Brown has the arm to air it out and with Eberhardt in the fold, he has an explosive receiver who can stretch the field and take the top off of an opposing defence.
C.J. REAVIS | OTTAWA REDBLACKS
As previously mentioned, the REDBLACKS were busy on day one of free agency, reeling in plenty of new faces, as they look to improve on both sides of the ball. With their defence ranked No. 6 in the CFL last season, giving up a second-most points per game (29.8), a big defensive addition on the opening day of free agency was former Roughrider C.J. Reavis.
Reavis played both SAM linebacker and safety in 2025 and his impact on the defence still remained no matter where he lined up. Reavis was among the top 30 players in defensive plays, tallying 74 on the season. The cover linebacker roams around making plays on all three levels of a defence and can be used anywhere head coach and general manager Ryan Dinwiddie and his coaching staff sees fit.
The six-foot, 198-pounder is as versatile as they come, collecting two sacks, two forced fumbles, an interception, five knockdowns, a fumble recovery and two tackles for loss, along with 61 defensive tackles on his way to helping the Riders win the 112th Grey Cup.