Top Five 2024 CFL Free Agent Linebackers

Hamilton’s leading tackler from a season ago can do more than find the ball carrier. Thurman finished seventh in the CFL last season in total tackles with 98, adding five sacks, two interceptions, two forced fumbles, one tackle for loss and one fumble recovery in 18 games. The Tiger-Cats need to lock up the 28-year-old, or another team will.

The BC Lions have continued to increase the workload of Ben Hladik, which resulted in his best season yet in 2023. Hladik racked up the sixth-most tackles in the league with 102 while also producing two tackles for loss, five sacks and one interception in 18 contests. He has great instincts for making the tackle and rarely misses a wrap-up. 

Whether playing for the Calgary Stampeders or the Toronto Argonauts the last two seasons, Wynton McManis has been a consistent defender. The 29-year-old finished 2023 with 80 total tackles, along with five tackles for loss, four sacks, four interceptions, one forced fumble and two defensive touchdowns. McManis is a playmaking machine who knows how to create a turnover at the right moments.

After joining his fifth CFL team last season, Micah Awe appears to have found his footing. Awe led the CFL with 140 total tackles in 2023 while contributing three tackles for loss, two sacks, three interceptions and one forced fumble. It will be interesting to see if Awe sticks around in Calgary or if he finds yet another home, but with Calgary providing the setting for his best season, he might want to look at coming back.

Long regarded as of the best linebackers in the CFL who has time and time again come through, Adarius Pickett did not disappoint in his first season with Toronto. He was second in the league in total tackles with 124, and he also recorded five tackles for loss, six sacks, one forced fumble and two fumble recoveries. The Argonauts have worked hard to bring back their core players, so it would be a surprise if they let Pickett walk.