Final cuts were due on Saturday. It's been dubbed "Heartbreak Saturday" for a reason. It's the worst part of the job for coaches and general managers around the league. And there's always some surprises on the team's cut list. Here are some final cut surprises from each team.
BC LIONS: MARCUS SAYLES
Marcus Sayles was a cut from out of left field. He's a former all-star DB, and he's been a solid player for BC. What this shows is that BC has a lot of faith in their new secondary after training camp, which will include veterans like Gary Peters and newcomers like Christophe Beaulieu. The release of Marcus Sayles may come back to bite them if the secondary fails.
EDMONTON ELKS: DEAN FAITHFULL
The fan-favorite Dean Faithfull ended up getting cut from the Elks roster after Boris Bede was signed. Faithfull was originally released, then re-signed back to the practice roster on Sunday. It wasn't totally shocking that Faithfull would be released considering they brought in Boris Bede, but many expected him to stay on the main roster.
CALGARY STAMPEDERS: BRAD MUHAMMAD AND TITUS WALL
TWO surprises from the Stampeders. Potentially the reason for cutting them both is to make space for Ben Labrosse and DeMario Houston, but then you realize that the Stamps already released Jonathan Moxey in the offseason. You would expect them to keep at least one of those two DBs, but apparently they found better ones in camp. They still have Kobe Williams, but this one is a bit of a head-scratcher.
SASKATCHEWAN ROUGHRIDERS: BRAYDEN LENIUS
Fan favourite Brayden Lenius was among the team's final cuts after Saturday. Many were saddened by his release, but when you look at his playing time, it's evident why he was released. He didn't participate in training camp, and he's consistently injured. His release makes sense now to make room for new receivers like Ajou Ajou.
WINNIPEG BLUE BOMBERS: CHRIS SMITH
Everyone thought the Bombers had finally found their replacement for Janarion Grant in Chris Smith. It was a shocker for many when the club released Chris Smith on Saturday. The big question now is who do the Bombers play at returner? We'll find out this week.
HAMILTON TIGER-CATS: OMAR BAYLESS
Even with the return of Steven Dunbar Jr. to the TiCats, no one really expected the release of Omar Bayless, who was a solid contributor to the club last year. With the release of Bayless, despite Steven Dunbar Jr. being signed, the receiving corps of the TiCats looks light.
TORONTO ARGONAUTS: TARVARUS MCFADDEN
This was a shocker. The Argos released one of their veteran secondary staples in Tarvarus McFadden. Many have raised questions about what the Argos secondary might look like next week. Only time will tell, but the Argos need a really good replacement.
OTTAWA REDBLACKS: JAHQUAN BLOOMFIELD
Bloomfield was a fourth-round pick in this year's CFL draft and was projected to be a depth Canadian receiver. Apparently the Redblacks believe they've found better options, so Bloomfield gets released which was a surprise.
MONTREAL ALOUETTES: TEVIN JONES
The Als released a big free agent signing when they got rid of Tevin Jones. Expected to fill the void that Austin Mack left, Jones will now have to find another job somewhere else after everyone thought he would be with the Grey Cup champion Alouettes.
By Bruce Chimirri-Olson
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