TORONTO—The Toronto Argonauts Football Club announced today they have signed American DB Ciante Evans, American DL Anthony Lanier II, American DL Demarcus Christmas, and American DL Atlias Bell.
Evans (5’11″/195lbs) played 13 games for the B.C. Lions in 2024 totaling 31 defensive tackles and two interceptions in his ninth CFL season. The 32-year-old broke into the CFL in 2015 with Calgary and was a two-time West All-Star (2017-2018), one-time CFL All-Star (2017) and Grey Cup champion (2018). The Texas native would go on to play with Montreal (twice) and Hamilton from 2019-2023, winning his second Grey Cup with the Alouettes in 2023. The former Nebraska Cornhusker has played 106 regular-season CFL games and tallied 281 defensive tackles, 19 interceptions, and three forced fumbles.
Lanier II (6’5″/285lbs) played 10 games with Saskatchewan last season and recorded 10 defensive tackles, two sacks, and one forced fumble. The four-year CFL veteran has played 44 games for the Roughriders and amassed 61 defensive tackles, 16 sacks, and three forced fumbles. The former Alabama A&M Bulldog spent 2016-2020 in the NFL with Washington, Los Angeles, and New Orleans seeing action in 15 NFL games.
Christmas (6’4″/305lbs) played 10 games with Edmonton last season, tallying nine defensive tackles and one sack. The Florida native came to the CFL in 2022 with Saskatchewan and played two seasons in green and white recording 42 defensive tackles, two sacks, and one fumble recovery over 30 games. The Florida State alum was drafted by the Seattle Seahawks in the 6th round of the 2019 NFL Draft and would also spend time with the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2020 and 2021.
Bell (6’1″/275lbs) had two stints with the Argos in 2024, most recently in the summer after spending training camp with the team. The New Orleans native attended The University of Houston (2019-2022) where he played in 27 games and tallied 83 tackles, eight sacks, and one forced fumble. Before transferring to UH, Bell played at Iowa Western Community College (2017-2018) making 69 tackles and 9.5 sacks in 22 games.