Canadian defensive tackle Jake Thomas set to return for ninth season with Bombers

WINNIPEG — The longest-serving member of the Winnipeg Blue Bombers has signed a one-year extension with the club.

Canadian defensive tackle Jake Thomas will return for his ninth season with Winnipeg.

Thomas has recorded 114 defensive tackles, 18 sacks, three forced fumbles and one interception in 137 games with Winnipeg, 

The native of Douglas, N.B., recorded a career-best five sacks while also registering 22 defensive tackles and appearing in all 18 regular-season games and three playoff games in the Bombers’ 2019 Grey Cup campaign.

EDMONTON SIGNS ROSE, JONES

EDMONTON — The Edmonton Football Club signed American defensive back Jonathan Rose and Canadian receiver Mike Jones.

The six-foot-one, 190-pound Rose comes to Edmonton following four seasons with the Ottawa Redblacks. Rose was an East Division all-star in 2016 and ’18.

Jones spent the last four seasons with the Hamilton Tiger-Cats. He registered 101 catches for 1,472 yards and four touchdowns.

TICATS EXTEND HOWSARE, RESIGN MAULDIN

HAMILTON — The Hamilton Tiger-Cats signed defensive end Julian Howsare to a contract extension through the 2022 season and re-signed Lorenzo Mauldin IV, another defensive end, to a one-year deal.

Howsare, 28, appeared in 18 regular-season games in 2019 (10 starts). The six-foot-three, 255-pound defensive lineman had 22 tackles, four special-teams tackles, three tackles for loss and a career-high six quarterback sacks.

Mauldin, 28, appeared in 11 regular season games with one start in 2019. He had seven tackles, seven special-teams tackles and three sacks. 

Both players are American.

DAVIS, JEFFERSON OPT BACK INTO CFL DEALS

REGINA — Linebacker Deshaun Davis and offensive lineman Cameron Jefferson both opted back into the CFL contracts. the Saskatchewan Roughriders announced Monday.

Both players are Americans.

The six-foot, 235-pound Davis was a sixth-round pick of Cincinnati in the 2019 NFL draft and went on to play in four pre-season games for the Bengals. 

He also spent time with Jacksonville and Philadelphia that season.  

The six-foot-five, 325-pound Jefferson returns to Saskatchewan after spending most of the 2019 campaign on the practice roster.

ARGOS INK AMERICAN RECEIVERS

TORONTO —  The Toronto Argonauts have signed American receivers Daniel Braverman and Craig Rucker.

Braverman, 27, was a 2016 seventh-round draft selection of the Chicago Bears and went on to play in three games that season for the NFL club. 

He spent time with the  Kansas City Chiefs and Arizona Cardinals practice squads in 2018.

 More recently Braverman played for the San Antonio Commanders of the Alliance of American Football in 2019, was on the Calgary Stampeders practice roster that same year and was signed by the St. Louis Battlehawks of the XFL in 2020.

Rucker finished his career with Division II’s Mars Hill University in 2019. He had 82 catches for 1,234 yards and 15 touchdowns during his senior year and was named his conference’s offensive player of the year. 

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 4, 2021.

The Canadian Press