The defensive secondary is in a rebuild with 22 players currently on the roster.
The only full-time starters back from last season are Canadian safety Jordan Hoover and American defensive halfback Forrest Hightower.
Hoover, 27, a 2017 fourth-round draft pick, finished fourth on the team with 53 defensive tackles in 16 starts in 18 games last year. He also had his first two CFL interceptions, two fumble recoveries, a quarterback sack and contributed seven tackles in the East Division Semi-Final.
Hightower, 28, has played five years in the CFL, but appeared in only 31 games over three seasons with the Eskimos, missing seven games last season with an injury. He had 26 tackles, a sack and an interception in 2019.
Brian Walker, 24, started eight of his 14 games as a rookie, but six of his starts were at strong-side (SAM) linebacker and two at defensive halfback. He could be an option at DB if the Eskimos find a great candidate to play SAM.
Meanwhile, several Canadian players picked up some playing experience last year.
Cornerback Godfrey Onyeka, 25, a 2018 second-round draft pick, started the first three games at field (wide-side corner) while safety Jordan Beaulieu, 26, a 2018 third-round draft pick played in all 18 games. Scott Hutter, 22, a 2019 sixth-round draft pick, played eight games during the final three months of last season and national defensive back Bryce Bartlett, 24, played his first two CFL games in August.
The Eskimos replaced some of the CFL experience they lost during the off-season by signing four former Toronto Argonauts defensive backs during free agency.
Jonathon Mincy (27, five-foot-10, 196) played only one game with the Argos last year after getting cut on the final weekend of NFL training camps two years in a row by the Chicago Bears, but he was an East Division All-Star with the Montreal Alouettes in 2017 and the Als’ rookie of the year in 2016. Expect to see Mincy at boundary (short-side) corner.
Meanwhile, Trumaine Washington (24, five-nine, 185) had five interceptions in 25 games during the past two years, Anthony Covington (25, five-10, 185) had 37 defensive tackles in 11 games last season, and Caleb Ham played three games with Toronto in 2019. Ham, 24, is the son of former Eskimos QB and CFL Hall of Famer Tracy Ham.
The Esks also signed Scarborough, Ont., native Jermaine Gabriel, a CFL veteran who played 95 games over seven seasons with the Boatmen from 2013-19.
Global player Jose Alfonsin of Mexico spent last season on the Eskimos’ practice roster.
Newcomers to the CFL this season include:
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