Lions Signing’s For 2026 Season

Locally the BC Lions have their eye on the ball as they set their roster for the upcoming 2026 season which for the first part will be displaced from BC Place with a pair of games being played in Kelowna for a pair of games.

They will again return to the Island to play in Langford May 23rd followed by a pair of games in Kelowna which they are calling “Touchdown Kelowna” June 27th with the second played July 4th that no doubt should draw a record number of fans.

They don’t or are unable to return to play at BC Place until July 25th due to the FIFA World Cup coming to BC which many are expecting record numbers of attending the games which will draw fans from around the world.

The Lions media relations Matt Baker sent out the following press release.

Enjoy the read:

The Lions have re-signed American running back James Butler who has signed a two-year extension and was eligible to become a free agent on February 10.

“JB is one of the most complete running backs in this league, excelling as a runner, catching passes out of the backfield, and holding up in pass protection,” said general manager Ryan Rigmaiden.

“He will continue to give coach Pierce a reliable weapon for his offence and another strong leader in our locker room.”

Butler (5’8, 215 lbs)- JB will enter his sixth CFL campaign in 2026 and fourth with the Lions after recording 1,213 rushing yards and a CFL-best 11 rushing touchdowns (both career-highs) on 229 carries last season as well as 46 receptions for 439 yards and one major across 17 regular season games.

Butler then recorded 26 touches for 158 scrimmage yards in two Grey Cup Playoff contests, including a team-high 58 rushing yards in the Western Final at Saskatchewan.

Originally signed by the Lions as a free agent in 2021, Butler sits 13th on the club’s all-time rushing list with 2,770 yards and will crack the top ten with one more 1,000-yard campaign.

Butler suited up in 27 games with the Hamilton Tiger-Cats from 2023-24, rushing for 1,638 yards and nine touchdowns on 345 carries and caught 106 passes for 899 yards and a pair of majors.

In his lone Grey Cup Playoff appearance with the Cats in the 2023 Eastern Semi-Final, Butler recorded 83 yards on 13 carries.

He previously suited up in pre-season action in 2018 with the Oakland Raiders and spent the remainder of the season on the practice squad. 

He moved north to attend Saskatchewan Roughriders training camp in 2019 before a return to Oakland’s practice roster following his release.

In three years with the Nevada Wolfpack (2014-16), Butler rushed for 3,316 yards and 27 touchdowns and added 49 catches for 438 yards and three touchdowns. He was named the program’s Offensive Player of the Year in 2016.

He transferred to Iowa for his final college season of 2017 and recorded 396 yards and a touchdown on 91 carries.

In addition the club has signed six Americans to the roster who are linebackers Corey Flagg and Ralen Goforth, Joshua Pickett (DB), wide receivers Anthony Sambucci and Treon Sibley and offensive lineman Logan Zschernitz.

Flagg (5’10, 233 lbs)- suited up in 43 games with the Miami Hurricanes from 2020-23, making 179 tackles, 24.5 tackles for a loss, 5.5 sacks, one interception and one fumble recovery. 

Flagg transferred to Missouri for his senior season and led the Tigers with 81 tackles to go along with 4.5 tackles for a loss, 1.5 sacks and one interception.

Goforth (6’1, 227 lbs)- signed with the Green Bay Packers as a non-drafted free agent in 2024 and was waived by the team with an injury settlement in November. 

After suiting up in 40 games at USC from 2019 to 2022 and making 149 tackles, Goforth transferred to Washington and registered 37 tackles, four tackles for a loss, a pair of pass breakups and a fumble recovery in 15 contests.

Pickett (6’0, 188 lbs)- moves north after a training camp appearance with the Denver Broncos in 2025. 

He previously suited up in 50 games with 23 starts at Duke, making 101 total tackles, 18 pass breakups, a pair of sacks and one forced fumble and earned Academic All-ACC selections in each of his final three seasons with the Blue Devils.

Sambucci (6’1, 190 lbs)- attended rookie mini-camp with the Chicago Bears last year after attending Western Michigan from 2020 to 2024 he became a starter in his third year, Sambucci finished with 75 receptions for 1,006 yards and nine touchdowns in 44 games with the Broncos while completing a 31-yard TD pass in 2022 against Pittsburgh.

Sibley (6’1, 205 lbs)- is coming off an impressive tenure at Liberty from 2019 to 2024, where he hauled in 68 receptions for 1,249 yards and ten touchdowns in 59 games. 

As a senior, Sibley recorded a career-best 28 catches for 510 yards to go along with two majors.

Zschernitz (6’3, 305 lbs)- signed with the New York Giants as a non-drafted free agent and attended rookie mini-camp with the team in 2025. 

In 49 games at Northern Illinois from 2019 to 2024, Zschernitz saw action at guard before being moved to starting centre in his senior year. 

A second-team All-MAC selection in 2024, that year he helped the Huskies eclipse 100 rushing yards in six games and put up 388 total yards in a historic upset against Notre Dame. The Huskies ended the campaign with 382.2 yards per game, good for second in the MAC conference.