Hamilton Tiger-Cats Re-Sign Two Canadians, Signs Six More
In the first few days of the newly restructured football operations that include a new president of football operations, a new general manager and a new coach, the Hamilton Tiger-Cats got to work on their roster with multiple signings and re-signings.
Their first moves announced were the re-signings of Canadian fullback Bailey Feltmate and Canadian defensive back Patrick Burke Jr.
Another year in TigerTown!
— Hamilton Tiger-Cats (@Ticats) December 7, 2023
We've re-signed 🇨🇦 FB Bailey Feltmate
🗞️ | https://t.co/QTGKa6REFd#Ticats | #CFL | @InsuredWithMIB pic.twitter.com/kG0JEMNYd6
Feltmate has played for Hamilton for the last three seasons, starting in 2021 starting as a linebacker before converting to fullback. In 43 games, he has recorded 39 total tackles, with 35 of those tackles being on special teams. He played a big role on special teams in 2023, recording 16 total tackles with 15 on the special teams.
Burke Jr. was a fourth-round pick of Hamilton in the 2023 CFL Draft. The Etobicoke, Ontario native was active for 14 games last season, finishing with 12 total tackles.
Hamilton also announced the signings of six players to the roster Thursday, as follows:
- Reece Martin, DL (Canadian)
- Robert Panabaker, DB (Canadian)
- Dyton Blackett, LB (Canadian)
- Jacob Patten, WR (Canadian)
- Chris Coleman, WR (American)
- Justin McGriff, WR (American)
Martin and Panabaker were both picks by the Tiger-Cats in the 2023 CFL Draft. Martin went in the fourth round and Panabaker in the fifth. They both attended training camp for Hamilton before returning to school. Both recorded more than 20 tackles on the season for their schools, with Panabaker helping his Western University win the Yates Cup.
Blackett also attended training camp for Hamilton before going back to school to play. After his return to St. Francis Xavier University, he recorded 36.5 tackles, 1.5 sacks, three forced fumbles and one fumble recovery in eight games.
Patten caught 26 passes for 298 yards and three touchdowns in five games played with McMaster University this past season. He also spent time with the minor football Hamilton Junior Tiger-Cats.
Coleman went undrafted by the NFL, but did sign with the Miami Dolphins before not making the final roster. He signed with Hamilton back in September, spending time on the practice roster.
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Anthony Miller has been covering professional spring football since 2019 including XFL, USFL, and CFL. He was a local news reporter in Texas before transitioning to sports. Other sites he writes for includes College Football Network and NTZ Network.