Ranking every CFL team’s secondary

• Saskatchewan leads the way with elite playmakers at every position: Reigning Most Outstanding Defensive Player Rolan Milligan and shutdown corner Marcus Sayles headline the CFL’s top secondary.

• Youth and inexperience define the bottom-ranked teams: Calgary and Ottawa rely heavily on young or unproven defenders, making them high-risk units heading into the season.

• Subscribe to PFF+: Get access to player grades, PFF Premium Stats, fantasy football rankings, all of the PFF fantasy draft research tools and more!

Estimated Reading Time: 7 minutes

With the 2025 CFL regular season now underway, teams are quickly learning what they have — and what they’re missing — across all areas of the field.

As game action returns, so too does the spotlight on each unit’s performance. We’re wrapping up our preseason position group rankings with a look at one of the most critical and volatile groups on the field: the secondary. From ballhawks and lockdown corners to versatile safeties and rising young talent, we’re ranking every team’s defensive backfield as the league settles into the new season.

1. SASKATCHEWAN ROUGHRIDERS

• Projected Starters: Tevaughn Campbell, Damarcus Fields, Nelson Lokombo, Rolan Milligan, Marcus Sayles
• Key Depth Players: Jaden Dalke, Jaxon Ford

No team enters the season with a secondary quite like the Saskatchewan Roughriders. Led by reigning Most Outstanding Defensive Player Rolan Milligan, this unit features playmakers at every level.

Milligan was the second-highest-graded defender in the CFL last year with a 90.6 overall mark, leading the league in interceptions and consistently dominating at the catch point. Boundary corner Marcus Sayles wasn’t far behind, earning a 90.3 grade (third-best league-wide) with five interceptions and 13 pass breakups. Field corner Tevaughn Campbell returns to the CFL after six seasons in the NFL, bringing elite athleticism to the position.

Nelson Lokombo offers range and instincts at safety, while Damarcus Fields is coming off an impressive rookie campaign and should only improve in Year 2. If this unit stays healthy, they’ll make life miserable for opposing quarterbacks all season long.

2. HAMILTON TIGER-CATS

• Projected Starters: Jonathan Moxey, DaShaun Amos, Stavros Katsantonis, Reggie Stubblefield, Jamal Peters
• Key Depth Players: Mack Bannatyne (R), Destin Talbert

If everything clicks, Hamilton has a legitimate shot at fielding the best secondary in the CFL this season. They’re led by boundary corner Jamal Peters, one of the league’s elite. Peters owns a 93.3 overall grade since 2022, second-best among all defenders. Field corner Jonathan Moxey struggled in 2024 with a 54.3 coverage grade, but he’s just two years removed from a standout 2022 campaign where he notched 16 pass breakups and an 83.8 coverage grade.

Former Argonaut DaShaun Amos brings stability, having posted an 84.6 coverage grade over the past three seasons. Stavros Katsantonis anchors the back end as the CFL’s second-highest-graded safety since 2022 (86.2 overall). The biggest question mark is Reggie Stubblefield, returning from a torn ACL suffered in Week 1 last year. If he gets back to his 2023 form — when he allowed just 213 yards on 52 targets with zero touchdowns allowed and 14 forced incompletions — then Hamilton’s secondary will be without a weak link.

3. BRITISH COLUMBIA LIONS

• Projected Starters: Garry Peters, Ronald Kent Jr., Cristophe Beaulieu, Jalon Edwards-Cooper, Robert Carter Jr.
• Key Depth Players: Jackson Findlay, Patrice Rene

When discussing the Lions’ secondary, everything begins with Garry Peters, arguably the closest thing to a shutdown corner in the CFL. Peters was targeted on just 6.3% of his coverage snaps last season and led all corners with a league-best 0.45 yards allowed per coverage snap.

Jalon Edwards-Cooper has logged fewer than 900 snaps over the past three seasons but has quietly posted an impressive 85.4 coverage grade during that span. Ronald Kent Jr. overcame a rocky start to his rookie campaign, rebounding with a 66.5 coverage grade over his final eight games.

Christophe Beaulieu similarly found his footing late in the year, stepping into a starting role over the final five games and finishing with a 66.6 overall grade. Rookie Robert Carter Jr. has already earned a starting job at boundary corner.

As a senior at Robert Morris last year, he tallied four interceptions, 10 forced incompletions, and a 90.7 coverage grade. His early adjustment to the Canadian game suggests he could be a major contributor in his first CFL season.

4. TORONTO ARGONAUTS

• Projected Starters: Tarvarus McFadden, Darrius Bratton, Derek Slywka, Mark Milton, Benjie Franklin
• Key Depth Players: Jonathan Edouard, Tyshon Blackburn

The Argonauts’ secondary features one of the CFL’s premier outside corner duos. Benjie Franklin ended last season with an 86.4 coverage grade, the fifth-best in the league, thanks to a remarkable 17 forced incompletions.

Opposite him, Tarvarus McFadden allowed just 27 receptions for 290 yards all year, notching more pass breakups (12) than first downs allowed (11). Toronto also added Darrius Bratton from Edmonton, a reliable halfback over the past two seasons who recorded four interceptions and seven pass breakups in 2024. The main question marks lie with Mark Milton and Derek Slywka.

Milton got off to a hot start after signing with the Argos last season, posting an 80.1 coverage grade through his first six games, but he struggled late, finishing with just a 41.8 grade over the team’s final six contests. Slywka, a converted receiver who played defensive back in college, hasn’t taken a CFL snap yet and enters the season as the projected starting safety. If Milton regains form and Slywka holds up, this secondary could be a serious strength.

5. MONTREAL ALOUETTES

• Projected Starters: Kabion Ento, Dionte Ruffin, Marc-Antoine Dequoy, Wesley Sutton, Lorenzo Burns
• Key Depth Players: Arthur Hamlin, Nate Beauchemin (R)

Montreal’s secondary has been a strength for years and once again features one of the CFL’s top defenders in Kabion Ento. The standout field corner has earned coverage grades of 86.2 and 86.1 over the past two seasons, both among the league’s best.

Dionte Ruffin took a big leap forward in 2024, improving from the 60s in previous years to a 75.0 coverage grade, largely thanks to six interceptions and five more forced incompletions. Wesley Sutton was steady last season, allowing just one touchdown and forcing nine incompletions, en route to a 72.7 coverage grade.

The key to this unit’s ceiling may lie with safety Marc-Antoine Dequoy. In 2023, he was the CFL’s highest-graded defender with a staggering 93.0 overall grade. But in 2024, he became more of a gambler, which led to a significant dip to 68.4. If Dequoy can recapture his dominant 2023 form, Montreal’s secondary could once again rank among the CFL’s elite.

6. EDMONTON ELKS

• Projected Starters: Tyrell Ford, Emmanuel Rugamba, Royce Metchie, Kobe Williams, Devodric Bynum
• Key Depth Players: Leonard Johnson

The Edmonton Elks made two of the most impactful defensive additions this offseason, bringing in Tyrell Ford and Royce Metchie to anchor their secondary. Ford was the highest-graded defender in the entire CFL last season, earning a 91.8 overall mark thanks to seven interceptions and 19 forced incompletions.

Metchie, one of the league’s top safeties, posted a strong 77.5 coverage grade in 2024. The team also added Kobe Williams, who is coming off a down year but graded out at 79.1 in 2023. Emmanuel Rugamba struggled in coverage last year (60.4) but still managed 10 pass breakups.

Meanwhile, Devodric Bynum ended his rookie season on a high note, notching five interceptions and four breakups en route to a 78.0 coverage grade over the final eight games. If Bynum continues to progress and the new faces settle in quickly, Edmonton’s secondary has the potential to make a serious climb up the rankings.

7. WINNIPEG BLUE BOMBERS

• Projected Starters: Terrell Bonds, Marquise Bridges, Evan Holm, Deatrick Nichols, Jamal Parker Jr.
• Key Depth Players: Michael Griffin II, Nick Hallett

The Bombers’ secondary enters 2025 with some questions after losing top field corner Tyrell Ford in the offseason. Marquise Bridges is set to take over his role after logging just 139 snaps as a backup last season. On the boundary, Terrell Bonds looks to build on a solid 2024 campaign in which he recorded two interceptions, 11 pass breakups, and a 73.8 coverage grade.

Halfback Evan Holm has been productive in disrupting passes — 28 breakups over the past two seasons — but he’s also been vulnerable in coverage, allowing 107 receptions for 1,436 yards and 67 first downs in that span. Deatrick Nichols had a strong season himself, earning a 72.8 coverage grade with three interceptions and 10 pass breakups.

Safety Jamal Parker Jr. missed all of 2024 with a knee injury, but if he can return to the form that earned him coverage grades of 70.3 in 2023 and 73.4 in 2022, he could provide some much-needed stability over the top.

8. OTTAWA REDBLACKS

• Projected Starters: Deandre Lamont, Robert Priester, Alonzo Addae, Amari Henderson, Alijah McGhee 
• Key Depth Players: C.J. Coldon, Adrian Frye

The Redblacks lost their highest-graded coverage defender from a season ago in Damon Webb but moved quickly to fill the void by adding a pair of experienced halfbacks. Amari Henderson and Robert Priester may not fully replicate Webb’s impact, but they offer solid, reliable play.

Henderson has posted back-to-back seasons with coverage grades above 71.0, while Priester has been steady, allowing just two touchdowns across 623 coverage snaps over the past three years. Alonzo Addae has shown consistent growth, improving from a 44.2 overall grade in 2022 to 72.3 in 2024, and could be primed for a breakout season at safety.

The outside cornerback spots remain the biggest question mark. Deandre Lamont and Alijah McGhee earned coverage grades of just 65.3 and 61.2, respectively, last season. If they can elevate their play, this Redblacks secondary has the potential to outperform expectations in 2025.

9. CALGARY STAMPEDERS

• Projected Starter: Tyler Richardson, Sheldon Arnold, Damon Webb, Bentlee Sanders, Ben Labrosse
• Key Depth Players: Adrian Greene, Jackson Sombach

The Stampeders enter 2025 with one of the youngest secondaries in the CFL, and their success may hinge on how quickly those young players develop. 2024 first-round pick Ben Labrosse earned a starting role in the second half of last season but posted just a 57.5 overall grade. Rookie Sheldon Arnold has yet to play a professional snap, making his transition to the Canadian game a significant unknown. Tyler Richardson saw limited action last season, logging 298 snaps and earning a 67.8 overall grade. Bentlee Sanders struggled early in 2024 with a 37.9 coverage grade through the first seven weeks, but he rebounded with an impressive 83.6 mark over the final 13 weeks.

If that late-season form continues, it could be a major boost for this group. The team’s headline addition was safety Damon Webb, whose 82.4 overall grade ranked ninth among all CFL secondary players last year. If Calgary’s young defensive backs take a step forward, this secondary could exceed expectations in 2025.