February 21, 2023

Argos Re-Sign WR Markeith Ambles; Ink WR’s Tanner Gentry & BJ Byrd

Toronto Argonauts wide receiver Markeith Ambles (17) tries to make a pass in the end zone while defended bye Hamilton Tiger Cats defensive back Richard Leonard (23) during second half CFL football game action in Hamilton, Ont. on Monday, September 5, 2022. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Peter Power

TORONTO – The Toronto Argonauts Football Club announced today the team has re-signed American WR Markeith Ambles and signed American WR Tanner Gentry and WR BJ Byrd.

Ambles, 31, set career-highs across the board in 2022, his first season with Toronto, after catching 72 passes for 737 yards and five touchdowns. Those numbers were good for second, third and tied for first respectively, on the Argos a season ago. The Georgia native spent his previous three CFL seasons (2018-2021) with Calgary where he would haul in 117 passes for a shade under 1,400 yards and seven majors, while helping the Stampeders win the Grey Cup in 2018.

Gentry, 28, spent 2021 and 2022 with the Buffalo Bills, playing in three games for the western New York team in 2022. The 6’2, 209lb pass-catcher was originally signed by the Chicago Bears as an undrafted free agent in May of 2017 and would go on to play four games that season and catch three passes for 35 yards before being waved in August 2019. The Colorado native played four seasons at Wyoming (2013-2016) bringing in 180 passes for 2,815 yards and 20 touchdowns in 42 games, including a 72-1,326-14 line in his Senior season which earned Gentry a Second-Team All-Conference nod.

Byrd, 23, spent some offseason time with the XFL’s Houston Roughnecks in 2022 after being drafted by the club last November. The 6’0, 190lb receiver played two seasons at Morehead State (2020-2021) where he was the conference’s Offensive Player of the Year in his final season after posting 90 receptions for 1,313 yards and 13 touchdowns, all single-season records for the Eagles. The California native’s first season at MSU saw Byrd lead the conference in kickoff returns touchdowns (1), receiving touchdowns (8) and total touchdowns (9), while catching 31 passes for 467 yards in a shortened seven game season. Byrd played at Jacksonville University before his time at MSU.