The Hamilton Tiger-Cats announced Tuesday that the football club has added five international free agents to the team’s practice roster in accordance with the Canadian Football League’s practice roster expansion period. The players signed include quarterback Dane Evans, wide receiver Jamal Robinson, offensive lineman John Kling, linebacker Lucas Wacha and defensive back Dante Blackmon.
Evans, 23, attended training camp with the National Football League’s Philadelphia Eagles this season before being released on September 1. The 6-1, 218-pound native of Sanger, Texas, spent five years (2012-16) at the University of Tulsa, registering 904 pass completions on 1,577 attempts for 11,680 yards, 84 touchdowns and 47 interceptions in 46 career games for the Golden Hurricane.
Robinson, 24, spent parts of the last two seasons with the NFL’s Jacksonville Jaguars after signing as an undrafted free agent on May 1, 2016. Prior to turning pro, the 6-4, 205-pound wide receiver spent five years at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette. In 52 career collegiate games with the Ragin’ Cajuns, the native of Slidell, Louisiana, recorded 156 receptions for 2,653 yards and 20 touchdowns.
Kling, 24, attended training camp with the NFL’s Washington Redskins this season before being released on September 2. The 6-8, 328-pound offensive tackle was originally signed as an undrafted free agent by the Chicago Bears on May 6, 2016. A native of Depew, New York, Kling spent five years (2011-16) at the University at Buffalo, suiting up in 34 career collegiate games for the Bulls.
Wacha, 24, signed as an undrafted free agent and attended training camp with the NFL’s Dallas Cowboys earlier this season before being waived on August 16. The 6-1, 225-pound native of Texarkana, Texas, was a four-year starter at the University of Wyoming (2013-16), appearing in 46 career games with 344 total tackles, 21 tackles for loss, four quarterback sacks, two forced fumbles and four fumble recoveries.
Blackmon, 24, signed as an undrafted free agent and attended training camp with the Indianapolis Colts on May 15, 2017, becoming the first Kennesaw State University player in school history to sign with an NFL team. He was released by the Colts on September 2. The 5-11, 185-pound native of Covington, Georgia, played two seasons with the Kennesaw State Owls (2015-16), posting 50 total tackles, two fumble recoveries, 17 passes defended and eight interceptions, one of which he returned for an 57-yard touchdown. In his final season in 2016, Blackmon led the Big South in interceptions with six.
